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Chapter Text

Somewhere in Time

Prologue

The Unsent Letter

If I close my eyes, I can feel you near me, my shelter. Even now, I want you here; I wait for you.

Time slips between my fingers and can’t seem to stop thinking of those years I kept you at arm’s length, afraid to feel too much for you, not realizing that you were already in my heart.

I should have trusted you – us- more, held your hand, told you I love you… sooner and more often. I shouldn’t have let doors close between us.

If I could, I would go back and say “yes” the first time you asked me to marry you.

I would go back to the first day we met, and I would hold on so tight, and I would never let you go.

..0..

Seoul, 2016

The pain in her lungs is what wakes her and Go Ha Jin isn’t sure if her heart is about to break or about to stop. She isn’t sure which one would hurt less. Slowly, Ha Jin turned to her side and tried to settle, catching a glimpse of the clock on the night table; it was 3 AM and anguish filled every part of her body. Images she can’t never quite grasp filter through her mind, frustrating her with her own inability to truly remember anything.

The only thing she knew for certain anymore was that she had lost something precious at the bottom of the lake, the day she had almost drowned. How much time had passed since then? Since she woke up from the comma? Did it even matter anymore?

...

Work is, at least, a distraction. For a few minutes at a time Ha Jin is able to focus on someone else and make them feel beautiful, make herself feel useful, like her old self. But on that afternoon – working at the museum’s store – she faltered, losing her train of thought in the middle of talking to clients often enough that she was sent off to take a break.

Some vaguely familiar man directed her toward the newly opened Goryeo exhibit on the life of Gwangjong, the fourth king of Goryeo. She wanders from room to room, looking without really seeing anything until she stops in front of a massive reproduction of a recently unearthed portrait of King Gwangjong painted shortly after he took the throne.

“Wang So,” Ha Jin whispers as she collapses unto herself, but she’s not just Go Ha Jin. A new consciousness awakens: Hae Soo and her memories.

They rob her of breath and pierce her heart.

“I’m sorry I left you alone.” She whispers over and over, sobbing. “I’m so sorry.”

--

It’s strange, Ha Jin thinks to her self as she sees her body lying on the floor while two paramedics poke her and shine light in her eyes. She’s there but she’s not, standing just to the side, invisible.

And that’s when she sees him.

She can’t see his face, but she would know those shoulders anywhere. His hair is much shorter, cut in neat, dark layers slicked into submission. He’s walking, briefcase in hand,  talking through a Bluetooth piece and typing on his phone at the same time. He steps around the paramedics, vaguely glancing at her body on the floor, but just keeps walking without stopping. She is nothing and no one to him.

Before she can register the pain of her heart breaking for the second time in less than 10 minutes, she feels herself moving backward, pulled by some force she can’t identify. And suddenly, she’s at the bottom of that like, the sky growing dark over head even though it’s midday.

The eclipse.

The day she drowned.

The day she woke up as Hae Soo, more than a thousand years in the past.

She is Hae Soo and Go Ha Jin .

And she remembers what dying felt like.

--**--

Chapter Text

Chapter One

Stranger Places

Déjà vu.

That’s the word for it, right? Go Ha Jin is almost certain of it.

One moment she was drowning, and then she was emerging from that pool, a young man screaming on her face and some strange young woman calling her ‘Ahgassi” and waving frantically, dragging her away before she collapsed.

Waking up again wearing a strange, loose white hanbok, inside an old-fashioned house and the worried face of Lady Hae Mung Hee. As soon as she saw the older woman, tears came to her eyes and she threw herself into her arms, crying with a relief she couldn’t understand; while Lady Hae patted her back and asked someone to go see if the doctor had arrived.

A little later, she sat on the bed, refusing to let go of Lady Hae’s hand while the doctor felt her head – there was a big lump on the side – and asked her a variety of questions she couldn’t quite answer.

“Memory loss,” the doctor declares after a while, “probably due to the bump on her head. You said she slipped and fell while you were walking, right?”

“That’s right,” the young woman from before answered, from somewhere behind Lady Hae.

The elderly doctor nodded, applying some salve on top of the bump, making Ha Jin wince, before wrapping a soft, white bandage around her head. “It’s hard to say with this type of injuries, but things will probably come back to her after a while. Just let her rest.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Lady Hae said softly, patting Ha Jin’s hand in reassurance.

As the doctor left, another man came into the room.

“Lady Hae, are you well? I saw the doctor leaving.” He said kindly, making Lady Hae smile, even as she coughed a little.

“I’m fine. Soo-ah, however had a little accident, your highness.”

“Accident?” The man asked suspiciously, turning to Ha Jin

It was then that the visions came. Visions, memories, flashbacks – she wasn’t sure what to call them, they crowded her mind and made them freeze as Lady Hae explained that Hae Soo had memory loss.

“Soo-ah, this is my husband, the Eight Prince Wang Wook.” Lady Hae said as an introduction.

“Wang? Goryeo’s Wang?” Ha Jin asked, thinking back to what little she remembered learning of history.

“That’s right Hae Soo-ssi.” The prince said, coming closer, his hand outstretched, offering it to her. “This is my household, and you are safe here.”

Ha Jin blinked, as two images came to her mind almost at the exact same moment. The first, was a scene much like this, where this man offered his protection – it even seemed like it was in this very same room – but that was quickly followed by another image of this man. Ha Jin could feel it as if it were happening at the instant: rain pelting her mercilessly, searing pain on her knees, cold… and the man in front of her turning his back to her and walking away without ever looking back.

Ha Jin shook herself, shrinking back against Lady Hae. “I’m tired, unnie.” She said, nodding toward the prince as his hand dropped.

“All right, get some rest.” Lady Hae said, giving her back one last pat before asking the maid – Chae Ryung – to stay near by in case Soo-ah needed something.

-**-

Deep in the night, once Chae Ryung had finally fallen asleep on a pallet next to Soo’s bed, Ha Jin sat up in the darkness, trying to make sense of the disjointed thoughts and those thoughts from before, that kept coming at her in flashes, hard to grasp.

Ha Jin was sure, so sure, this had all happened before, but she also remember Seoul and waking up from a comma she had yet to fall into. Time was a confusing, messy loop that left her stranded somewhere in the Goryeo period, where the first king Taejo was still ruling.

 Still, all things considered, this might not be such a bad situation. Back in Seoul, Go Ha Jin had creditors at her heels (for money she had never even seen); her boyfriend and best friend had betrayed her and she had been fired from her job. At least here in Goryeo, people seemed to care for Hae Soo.

And so, Go Ha Jin decided to embrace this new persona. Fate moved in mysterious ways, the newly minted Hae Soo thought as she settled down in bed and drowsiness began to steal over her. Maybe this was a second chance, not only for Ha Jin but for Hae Soo as well.

And when she dreamt, it was all about him: a young man, his features obscured and hazy, his clothes dark,… but his presence, even in dreams, brought her worlds of comfort.

--**--

The next day, Ha Jin – no, Hae Soo; she was Soo now – walked around with Chae Ryung, who kept asking her questions, not quite believing that a person could forget everything just like that. Soo answered patiently, asking a bunch of questions of her own, marveling at her surroundings and making sense of her new situation, and enjoying the company of Chae Ryung. Much as it had happened last night with Lady Hae, seeing Chae Ryung alive and well, made Soo feel happy.

In those early days, she had feelings like that all the time. Reactions she couldn’t explain when she met certain people. Like Princess Hwangbo Yeon Hwa, Lady Hae’s sister in law. The princess was beautiful, with exquisite manners and a haughty air about her. When they had first crossed paths, Soo’s defenses went up.

The Princess had berated her about gawking at her surroundings, accused her on spying on the prince and lady Hae and told her that she would teach her a lesson if she didn’t stop.

“If you don’t like me, you can just say so.” Soo answered when the princess paused on her tirade. “No need to talk about disciplining me or anything.”

If she was completely honest, living the princess speechless in the middle of the path had been very satisfactory… until Lady Hae had found out. Myung Hee called her into her rooms and gently scolded her, and asked her to be good, said that certain allowances could be made because of her injury, but that it was not wise to anger the princess.

Which was why Soo tried to be on her best behavior next time she had to spend time with the princess, trying to be helpful as the ladies of the house gathered to make lanterns to decorate the house. Soo focused on the lotus-shaped lanterns they were making, her fingers clumsy at first but as they worked, it got easier, like her fingers just knew what to do.

“You still remember how to make the lamps,” Princess Yeon Hwa said, her voice sugary like syrup, when Soo showed her first creation to Lady Hae. “Perhaps you also remember how to make the glue? We need more and yours was always the best.”

“Well… I can try.” Soo agreed uneasily.

 .

Once Soo was outside, making the glue, Soo knew this was Princess Yeon Hwa’s petty revenge. Making glue was very labor intensive.

“You could let me help you, “Chae Ryung said worriedly.

“No, this is fine. I’m not going to fail.” Soo declared, vigorously stirring the large pot as she huffed to blow the hair that kept falling on her face.

Another maid came by, saying that Lady Hae needed Chae Ryung. “I’ll be back,” Chae Ryung said, “Just make sure it does not burn, Ahgassi.”

Soo waved her off. Pausing to stretch a little.

That was when she saw him. A familiar face: the man she had been speaking to before she jumped into the lake to save that little boy. Then she got another flash, of that same man, dressed very differently, saying something about how the last name Go would have been Hae in Goryeo.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Soo began to follow him, out of the household and into a busy street by a river bank… where she lost him. Where she realized she was lost. Soo was turning around, trying to get her bearings to make her way back home.

But then, people began to scream about a wolf-dog, and started to run off the path as a black-clad figure thundered down the road on horseback… and straight to where she was standing, which was probably why the man in front of her scrambled away… pushing her in the process.

Time slowed down, as Soo felt herself falling backward, toward the river… only to feel a strong arm close around her, and an instant later finding herself atop of a horse, not sure how that had happened. Half a second later, she just didn’t care. Her dreams of the previous night came into focus: the long hair, the half mask, that mocking smile and the worried eyes that gave his feelings away; she had seen them before.

It was him.

If I could, I would go back and say “yes” the first time you asked me to marry you.

I would go back to the first day we met, and I would hold on so tight, and I would never let you go.

The words came to her mind so clear that she could see herself writing them, the brush heavy on her hand. Then the visions came, and they were all about him. Some were scary, bathed in red; but most of them were about stars, and lakes, the sea… about feeling safe.

Soo could not take her eyes off him as the horse slowed down and stopped. Soo felt him change his hold on her and knew he was going to push her off, so she did the first thing she could think off… and wrapped her arms around him, making them fall together.

He did not appreciate that, but still broke her fall with his own body.

“I’m so sorry!” Soo said, rushing to stand up and offering him her hand to help him up, which he battled away ill-temperedly. “But it really is all your fault, you know?”

“What?!” the indignation and anger in his voice should have scarred her, but Soo found she could only smile.

“You shouldn’t have been racing down such a narrow road to begin with,”

He glared at her and got back onto his horse.

“Wait!” Soo called out and he stopped, still glaring. “You could have caused a big accident, people come before ca-before horses!”

Annoyed, he pulled on the rains of his horse, making it rear up in her direction, forcing her to step back, and then he was speeding down the road once more.

“Hey! You! Wait!”

“Forget about him, Ahgassi.” An old woman said. “You are lucky he didn’t do something worse to you.”

“He wasn’t going to hurt me.” Soo blurted out but before the woman could answer, Chae Ryung showed up to drag her home. Apparently, the princess had been asking about her.

**00**00**

It really grew tedious, the fourth prince Wang So thought, the way his brothers never quite looked at him, his third brother’s snide comments, and even the way his 8th brother and sister always tried so hard.

Wang So welcomed the distraction of the maids that came in to serve them refreshments, he leaned back on his chair and would have dosed off,  if not for the small, pink clad figure that followed the maids, skulking about the edge of the room, hiding her face.

Apparently, she was no stranger to outrageous behavior like what she had displayed on the road with him, as his 10th brother, Eun, quickly got into an argument with her, which prompted her to flee the room, with Eun in close pursuit.

Not ten minutes later, all his brother rushed out – with him following at a more leisure pace – to witness that girl and Eun in the middle of a brawl, which the prince was currently losing, as she called him a pervert.

Amusing as it was, it had to be stopped, which Wang So did by grabbing the girl’s wrist, stopping her from hitting Eun and pulling her off him, which Eun rose to his feet and tried to go after her again, only to be stopped by Wook.

Feeling his work was done, So let go of her hand – though he had to force himself to do so – and left the scene, only to find herself being chased by her.

“You shouldn’t have helped him,” She screamed, hot at his heels, “That little prince needs to learn a lesson! He was spying on the servant girls!”

“And what lesson would that be, uh? What could you teach him? He is a prince.” So said over his shoulder, slowing down but not stopping.

“So what? Fairness has nothing to do with status or rank, in fact, the higher you are the more you should care about justice, don’t you think?”

Justice, what a pretty and useless sentiment. Just how naïve was she?

“Wait!” She called again, and this time he actually stopped- “There was something else I wanted to tell you.”

“What? Are you going to lecture me some more about where and how can I ride my horse?”

“I wasn’t going to, but perhaps I should.” She said severely and eh turned to leave once more. “No! wait! I was teasing you.”

“That’s not very smart. I don’t like being ‘teased’.”

“Stop pretending to be menacing. You are not going to hurt me.” Hae Soo said simply, rendering him speechless as she stepped a little closer, “I’m Hae Soo, by the way.” He was silent, just staring at her until she grew a little uncomfortable and blushed. “Um… this is the part where you tell me your name.”

“Have you never heard of the wolf-dog?”

Soo shrugged, “I heard people calling you that by the road, but I doubt that’s your name. No one is called Wolf-Dog. Didn’t that little prince call you So?”

“You really don’t know how I am?”

Soo grinned, “It’s hard to say, I couldn’t be certain. I hit my head, you see, and I almost drowned, that probably didn’t help. So I don’t remember much from before, say, two days ago, maybe?”

“And that’s supposed to be a credible explanation?” Wang So said, not very nicely.

Soo sighed, and he felt like he had kicked a puppy. “Anyway, I wanted to thank you for not letting me fall into the river –“ Hae Soo bowed, “Even if you did push me off your horse afterward.”

“I-um” No one had ever thanked him for anything in his life. “You are welcome?”

Soo smiled at him, her dimples showing.

“Soo-ah!” Lady Hae called out to her, coming from the path that lead to the house.

Hae Soo sighed dejectedly, beginning to recognize that tone of voice. “It seems I got myself into some trouble again. Excuse me.”

Wang So stood in the middle of the path, watching her scamper off and join Lady Hae.

“Hae Soo,” He said to himself, shaking his head, not knowing that the course of his life had just altered forever.

--**--

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

Ripples in the Water

Hae Soo wandered around the Eighth Prince’s compound without any particular direction. Lady Hae had scolded her for hitting the Tenth Prince, as had Princess Yeon Hwa and she was under orders to make herself scarce and to keep out of trouble. Chae Ryung had told her it was likely she would be punished somehow if the King found out what she had done. 

She was not even allowed to participate in the preparations for the upcoming festival so she wandered for hours on end. Often, she went to the prayer towers where Lady Hae had taken her to scold her in private, but instead wound up comforting her and showing her the prayer tower that she, Lady Hae, had been building for Soo since she had come to live with her a few years ago. 

It was a peaceful enough place and it usually centered her; but on that day, she felt a bit more restless and wandered until she found herself at the entrance of a cave near the public pools for washing. As the day was rather cool and the hour grew late, there was no one around. With nothing better to do, she went inside.

It was better lit than she thought, and it felt humid. After a short walk, she found that the cave opened into the largest pool at Damiwon. The place where she had surfaced just a few days ago. Slowly, Soo made her way around the boulders and sat down the edge of the pool, staring at its depths. The water had been warm, unexpectedly so, and heavy, it had felt so heavy when it pressed down on her. 

Hae Soo didn’t know how long she had stared at the water when she heard a flurry of movement. She knew someone was coming this way. She scrambled to run and hide behind the boulders at the back, but before she could make it, her feet slipped and she found herself back in the water, holding her breath and trying not to panic. 

Soo knew from before that the pool wasn’t deep. She tried to very slowly move her feet, her arms...trying to find purchase in order to put herself upward, even though she suspected that would earn her another scolding. She was running out of breath and she must have fainted at some point because suddenly her mind was filled with those disjointed, disorienting images of the future and the past and of Wang So most of all. 

But then, Soo found her footing, emerging from the water in a flurry of movement. 

“I thought I was going to die,” She gasped to herself, blinding reaching out to steady herself with one hand, while the other tried to rub water out of her eyes. Just as her hand landed on something solid, Soo opened her eyes to find herself face to face with the person who had filled her mind just seconds ago: “Hi.” 

For a heartbeat or two, the Fourth Prince just stared at her, and Soo noticed something different: he wasn’t wearing his half mask, his face was completely bare and her eyes found and traced the discolored skin that ran across the bridge of his nose and under his eye. As if in a trance, Soo moved the had landed on his shoulder up, toward his face… but the small movement made him react, pushing her away and covering the scar with his hand, half turning away. 

“Did you see it?” He asked, turning slightly. The look in his eyes broke Soo’s heart and she could only nod… which prompted him to reach out and wrap his other hand around her throat. “Forget that you saw it. Forget you saw me,” He whispered angrily, right into her face. 

His voice was cold and scary, but his eyes were full of fear and shame and pain…

“But-“ 

“If you mention this, I’ll make sure your face looks just like mine,” He added, pushing her backwards, which made her let out a little squeak. 

So stared at her for a moment as she steadied herself, resisting the urge to help her. He was amazed at the fact that she hadn’t struggled or trembled in his hold, but got scared only when he let go. Maybe she was slow witted or something. It didn’t matter. He turned and walked out of the pool, grabbing his clothes without looking back. 

Hae Soo stood there for a moment before scrambling out of the water as well. She felt  her heart speed up and ache, making her fall to her knees as soon as she cleared the pool. The pain, she remembered this. Hae Soo’s heart was weak in a way that Ha Jin’s had never been, and she had to be careful with it. 

“Calm down,” Soo whispered to herself. “He didn’t mean it and you didn’t drown. Calm down.” She forced herself to take deep breaths until she felt strong enough to rise. Something glittery caught her eye, so she bent down and retrieved the small object, which turned out to be a hair pin in the shape of a butterfly. Holding onto the hair pin, Soo decided to leave before the maids came to clean up after the prince. 

Making her way back home in her wet clothes was a lot harder than she expected, and she was shivering by the time she could see the Eight Prince’s house. There were bright lanterns lit up outside the main gate and a small group of people were waiting there. 

“There you are!” Lady Hae said, half exasperated, half worried, hugging Soo before remembering she should be scolding her. “Where were you?”

“I walked farther than I thought, and I got lost. I’m sorry, Unnie.”  

“Managed to land into some water too, apparently.” Myung Hee said, taking in Soo’s wet hair and clothes. 

“Tripped into a creek?” Soo offered. 

Myung Hee shook her head. “Chae Ryung, take Soo inside and make sure she has something warm before bed.” 

“Yes, my lady,” Chae Ryung said, grabbing Soo’s arm. Soo was about to walk off when she stopped dead in her tracks as Myung Hee broke into a fit of coughing.

Fear came swiftly then. There was not much time left… the snow, when the snow came it would be too late. Turning to Lady Hae, Soo said solemnly: “I’m sorry I made you stand in the cold, Unnie. You shouldn’t have! I’ll behave from now on, I promise, but you have to take better care of yourself.” 

Surprised by her speech, Myung Hee only blinked. “I-“

“I’ll be really good, I swear," Soo vowed. 

Finally, Myung Hee smiled. “Start by going inside so I don’t worry."

Soo nodded and allowed Chae Ryung to lead her away. 

It wasn’t until she was tucked in bed that night, holding the butterfly hairpin that Prince So had left behind at the Damiwon’s pool that she thought about him again. The look in his eyes as he asked her if she had seen the scar on his face… her instinct told her he wasn’t mad at her, not really… but it was something that ran deep inside of him. 

Soo wondered how he had gotten that scar… or the ones all over his back. 

**--**

Elsewhere in Songak, Wang So wandered the deserted gardens outside the Damiwon, unable to sleep or to go back to his Eight Brother’s home just yet. He was distracted and vexed at the world and at that nosy girl most of all.

She must think him a monster now, having seen the extent of his scarring. He only hoped she would keep her mouth shut about it. Hae Soo was so small and frail looking, and contrary to popular belief, Wang So did not enjoy harming those weaker than him. But he would, he definitely would if she…

Movement behind one of the screen windows of the Damiwon caught his attention. He wasn’t familiar enough with the place to know its layout, but by the hour and the candle brightly shining through the window, he assumed it must be the room of one of the senior court ladies. Probably the Head Court Lady herself, Court Lady Oh.

A moment later, the lights went out. As So turned to walk away, a movement out of the corner of his eye made him stop again. Hidden at the edge of the garden was a person, and a little bit of moonlight reflecting off his headdress had been what caught So’s eye. 

The man was far away, but there was no mistaking him… the question was, what was the King of Goryeo doing, lurking outside the Damiwon like a thief… or a beggar. 

**--**

The next morning, Hae Soo was escorted to the Eight Prince’s library early in the morning. The prince was busily moving among the shelves, and he barely paused to acknowledge that Soo had arrived. He did not address her. 

Finally, Soo was forced to break the silence. “Did you need me for something?” She asked. 

“Your highness,” He said, still not quite giving her his attention.

“Pardon?”

“How may I serve you, Your Highness. That’s the proper and polite way to address me. My sister mentioned you had forgotten polite greetings but-“

“I forgot pretty much everything!” Soo interrupted, “not just the greeting…” she finished lamely. 

“I can see that," He said. “It must be a difficult time for you, having forgotten everything as you said.”

“I’m mana-”

“It’s also dangerous,” He cut her off, finally focusing on her. “What happened with the Tenth Prince was bad enough… Well, it doesn’t matter. I did promise to look after you when my Lady Wife brought you here and I will do so. If you want to go back to your hometown, I’ll arrange it. If your clan won’t take you, I’ll help you settle somewhere else…”

“You don’t have to do that,” Soo said surprised, following him around the various shelves when he started pacing again. “I’m not your responsibility, and I’ll be all right he-“ Soo cut herself off, startled at finding herself face to face with the prince, closer than what was appropriate. 

He was a handsome man, Soo thought detachedly as a vision flooded her mind: This man dressed in mourning whites, weeping over never having been able to say something to someone.

Hae Soo blinked rapidly, stepping backward and shaking her head. 

“Hae Soo-ssi?” Prince Wook asked, concerned. 

“Sorry, I spaced out. But as I was saying, I’m not really your problem and I’m doing better every day.”

“You worry lady Hae.”

“I won’t anymore, I promise. Even if I get bored, I’ll be on my best behavior.” 

Prince Wook sighed tiredly. “Fine. You should go find Lady Hae now, or she’ll worry I’m scolding you too much.”

“I’ll tell her you weren’t," Soo said cheerfully, “But you should tell her too, you know?”

“What?”

“That you worry and care about her. It would make her very happy to hear that.”

“Hae Soo-ssi – “He said in a warning tone.

“I’m just saying… you never know how much time you have left… the days grow shorter, colder, and you might not get another chance.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

In the Woods

When Myung Hee had first told her that she wouldn’t be allowed to go to the Palace with the rest of the household for the exorcism rite, Hae Soo had been a bit upset – mostly because she knew that Prince So would be there, and something inside her told her the prince was the key to it all, that they had to stick together – but in the end, she agreed with her cousin that it just wasn’t safe, as her absent “memories” (and her ‘manners’) could get her in trouble. Instead, she had been given a little bit of money and told to go enjoy the lantern festival. 

Once there, Soo had been fascinated by the lanterns, the people and the food, and so she had proceeded to drag Chae Ryung all over the market. 

“You are going to get sick, Agassi!” Chae Ryung admonished, when Soo bit into her fifth sweet of the night. 

“I’m just enjoying myself,” Soo countered. They were resting for a moment before heading back home. That’s when Soo caught a flurry of movement over the roofs of some nearby buildings. 

Several dark-clad figures were running, away from the palace and into the woods that surrounded Songak. She didn’t recognize the first few men, but she did recognize the last one. 

“I’ll be right back!” Hae Soo yelled over her shoulder, already running after Prince So, distractedly patting her robe to check if she still had the hairpin with her. She needed to return it before she lost it and it was while pondering that that she managed to lose the fourth prince.  

Hae Soo wasn’t sure which direction to take once she was in the woods. She tried following some voices she could hear in the distance, but the scene she found had her reeling and quickly running in the opposite direction. After walking downhill for a few minutes, she finally found Prince So, who was facing another black clad man, wearing a mask; neither of them had noticed her. 

Hae Soo crouched low, feeling the ground for a rock, one that was big enough to make an impact but small enough so she could throw it, hoping that for once in her life, her aim wouldn’t fail. Staring intently at the man wearing the mask, Soo threw the rock with all her might, marveling at the nice arc it made as it before it made contact with the back of that masked man’s head. She didn’t kid herself thinking it had been a strong pitch, but the man was startled and lost his balance. 

It was all Prince So needed. He was all over that man in a blink of an eye, knocking him unconscious. Then he turned his head toward her… and he wasn’t happy to see her. Before she could blink twice, he had his hand around her throat and was pressing her backward against the trunk of a tree. “What are you doing here?” 

Hae Soo sighed, almost bored with this (usual) reaction from him.

--00--

She had given him the slip. 

One moment Wang So was demanding to know why she had walked into a forest teeming with assassins – “I didn’t know they were assassins!”she said -  and the next thing he knew, he was on the receiving end of one of her lectures – on how he didn’t take proper care of himself - while she pressed a handkerchief to the wound she found on his arm, tying it in place with a length of ribbon she produced out of nowhere. 

Wang So kept looking between her and the still unconscious man, trying to decide what he should do next: He needed to take the man back to the palace, but the forest wasn’t safe. And why did he care about the safety of this annoying little creature? Hell, if he knew- 

Hae Soo kept chattering away, mumbling about infection and something he thought sounded like ‘antibiotics,’ whatever that was. When he suddenly shushed her. More people were coming his way, by the looks of it; it was probably some of his brothers who were also searching for the would-be assassins.

“Hide behind that tree, I’ll check who they are and get someone to escort you home.”

“That really isn’t necessary,” Hae Soo said, taking a few steps backward and not in the direction he had pointed to. 

The instant he turned back to ask the men to identify themselves – though he had already recognized his Eighth brother  – she had snuck off into the forest she NOW knew for certain was full of assassins. 

-.-

Hae Soo walked downhill, surprised to realize she had been closer to the edge of the market than she had first thought, quickly finding Chae Ryung where she had left her. 

“Ahgassi!” She had said with both relief and reproach. “I was so worried! They said someone tried to kill the crown prince.” 

Soo nodded. “That explains it.” 

“Explains what?” 

“Nothing,” Soo said with a smile. “Let’s go home so Unnie finds us there when she returns and doesn’t worry.” 

“Now you worry about that, Ahgassi.” Chae Ryung complained but followed Hae Soo, gently steering her back toward the Eight Prince’s compound. “And why are there so many stains on your clothes?”

-.-

In the end, Wang So took the captured assassin back to the palace. There, Crown Prince Mu took over, ordering the man to be put in a cell and closely monitored. They had tried to do an early interrogation, but the man wasn’t cooperative. So would have gone back to look for her then, but Mu had dragged him to see one of the royal physicians instead. 

“This is nothing, we should keep investigating.” So protested, itching to get back to the forest. Maybe Wook had found her… but maybe not. Maybe she had gotten lost or... 

“We have men searching the woods. We’ll try to interrogate the one you caught again in the morning.”

So hissed as the physician cleaned his wound, but otherwise stayed still. “Fine. I need to go yell at someone anyway,” So said cryptically, pocketing the length of ribbon and handkerchief Hae Soo had used to tie his wounds.  

Surely, they had found her. 

Mu nodded, looking at his younger brother contemplatively, “You did it, So. Caught them.” 

“Caught one,” So shook his head. “We still need to find who is behind it. This is only the beginning.”

-**-

It was almost morning when So made it back to the Eight Prince’s residence where the inkiness of the sky started to alight at the horizon line. He was exhausted, and the painkiller concoction the doctor had given him was not doing much for him other than make him groggy.   

He knew the servants would be up soon, but he had to check on her. The little idiot had snuck off on him and if something had happened to her…

As So approached the side of the house where Soo slept, he noticed everything was quiet and still, except for her room which was lit up by a few candles from inside; even from a distance, he could make out a shape sitting up in bed. It had to be her, otherwise a worried Lady Hae would be here. 

Satisfied, he went back to his room. In the morning, he would ask her if she had seen anything else in the woods… after he yelled at her for recklessly putting herself in danger. 

-**-

But with Hae Soo, it seemed like he was destined not to have the upper hand. She had shown up outside his room with a tray and before he could tell her off for running from him in the forest, she began nagging him about his wound. She demanded to see if it had been treated properly and told him to lift his sleeve so she could change the bandage.

“This isn’t a job for you.”

“Who else will do it, then?” Soo said, cleaning the cut with fresh water and patting it dry before applying a sweet-smelling poultice. 

 “I meant to ask if you saw anything else in the forest last night.” 

Soo paused to grab a length of linen. “Sure I did,” She explained, focusing on bandaging his arm. “Before I found you, I saw a group of men in the woods; they were wearing costumes like the man you caught, and they were cornered by others. I think they knew each other because there was no struggle or anything… until they were killed.”

“What?” 

“They were all killed,” Soo paused to shudder. “Then I ran in the opposite direction and found you.”

“Do you remember anything else?” 

Soo closed her eyes. “They were all dressed the same, except for the man who seemed to be in charge. He wasn’t wearing a mask and his costume was made of fur.”

“Fur?”

Soo nodded, “I couldn’t see the color of it, though, or his face. I don’t think they saw me either.”

“They would have killed you if they had,” So said distractedly, thinking of the night before, and the only person who had worn fur in his costume. 

“Why must there always be a death threat when I’m with you?” Soo asked in an exasperated sigh.

So smiled, forgetting the rest for a second, but only one second. “You were both incredibly lucky and incredibly foolish last night! Running into the forest like that and then running off! When you knew there were assassins all over those woods!” He added, voice getting louder as he warmed to the subject. 

“Shhh!” Soo said, covering his mouth with both her hands. “No one knows I was there! Or that I’m here, for that matter.” 

“You are lucky I need to go to the palace today,” He said after he pried her hands away, but his voice had lost all its sternness and he rather suspected he might be smiling at her. Worse, he had to force himself to let go of her hands, which he had held for a moment too long. 

“Look for me when you get back, and I’ll change the bandage,” Soo took her tray and preceded him from the room. 

So waited until her steps had faded before leaving the room himself. She had been right in pointing out that it would be improper for her to be in his room, much less alone with him. 

As he closed the door, Yeon Hwa appeared carrying a tray not dissimilar to the one Soo had had with her. 

“Good morning,” So greeted. 

“I heard you were hurt during the rite and came to see to your wound.” 

 “Already done.” When she frowned, he added, “The royal physician saw me last night. Excuse me.”  

Yeon Hwa smiled until he turned away, then her expression turned sour. Wang So had never rejected her attention like that.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four: 

Points of Inflexion

All in all, the day had been a success in Hae Soo’s opinion. 

After taking care of the Fourth Prince’s wound, she had wandered back to her room and stayed there for a while, until Chae Ryung came to ‘wake her up’ – the maid had been surprised to find Soo already dressed and tidying up the room when she arrived. It was something that the ‘old’ Hae Soo was not known for, apparently. 

Then she had gone off for a walk with her Unnie. They both took care of staying away from the princess, who was in a bad mood for some reason. 

They were both making their way back to their main house when they were surprised by the arrival of visitors. 

“Came to check on you after last night’s events; we didn’t have the opportunity to talk.” A smiling Wang Baek Ah said to Lady Hae, who had greeted him with a big smile. 

“You know you don’t need an excuse to come,” she said warmly. “Soo-ah, ask Chae Ryung to bring some tea to the garden pavilion, will you?”

“Yes, Unnie.” Soo said, studiously ignoring the other visitor, who happened to be the Tenth Prince... until she caught the look her Unnie sent her before walking away with the 13th Prince, whom apparently, she was very close with. 

Hae Soo took a deep breath and turned towards the little prince, but before she could speak, he interrupted her. 

“I’ve spoken to His Majesty,” he said, affecting an ‘important’ tone of voice. “I told him it was all an accident so you don’t have to worry about what you did. You may say thank you, now.”

“Thank you,” Hae Soo said shortly. “I’m sorry about your eye,” She said, pointing to the mostly healed black eye. 

“Yes, well…”

“But you were still wrong,” 

“Excuse me?”

“Spying on the female servants is wrong, and beneath the dignity of a prince,”  Soo declared, starting to walk toward the kitchen where Chae Ryung was sure to be. 

“I don’t-“ The Tenth Prince was very surprised to suddenly find himself on the receiving end of a lecture and wasn’t sure what to say.

“You are a very privileged person in this world, are you not? You are a Prince of the Great Goryeo empire.” 

“Yes-“

“You have so much, your highness.” So said, “You should be mindful of the people who don’t. When people offer you their honest work, you shouldn’t pay them back by taking advantage.”

“I had never thought about it like that,” The Tenth Prince said, a little shamefaced. 

Hae Soo nodded. “But now you know.” She offered him a gentle smile. 

The Tenth Prince smiled back, going with Hae Soo to request snacks before following her to the pavilion, where his 13th brother was playing the gayageum for Lady Hae.

***---***

The entire day had been one failure after another.

Wang So had combed the area where Hae Soo told him she had seen the assassins being executed, and though he did find traces of blood, there were no bodies. The ground looked undisturbed, so he doubted they had been buried there. 

When it was clear that was a dead-end, he had gone to the palace where the bodies of the assassins that had died early on the attack were being examined. They had found that all the assassins had had their tongues cut off; same as the one assassin they had caught alive, and who had proven to be quite uncooperative. 

No matter what they did to the man, he didn’t react, and they had done quite a lot. 

He felt dirty as he made his way back to Wook’s house that evening. 

Needing more time to clear his head, Wang So took a turn and found himself near the prayer stones that sat at the edge of Wook’s property. And, of course, who else would be there but Hae Soo. 

She stood in front of one of the stone piles with her eyes closed, talking under her breath. So had decided to leave before she noticed but then she opened her eyes and smiled at him. 

“I was beginning to worry about you,” She said, bowing one last time to the stones before making her way toward him, like it was midday and they had happened to meet in the market or something. “Did your wound bother you?”

“No,” He said shortly. 

“That’s good, but it will probably start itching soon.” 

“That is the least of my problems,” He snapped, not angry at her but angry and lashing out just a bit.  

“Tell me your problems then, I’m an excellent listener,” Hae Soo answered, nonplussed 

He stared at her for a moment. This slip of a girl confused him and frustrated him but here he was. “What are you doing, Hae Soo?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you always seeking me out? Did someone put you up to it? What do you expect to gain?”

“Your trust and friendship. And maybe that you stop dropping death threats each time we talk. We both know you’re not going to hurt me so it’s just bothersome,” Soo said, counting out her reasons with her fingers. 

“Why do you believe that? No one else does.”

“I don’t know about other people; I just know about myself,” Soo said. “And I like spending time with you.” 

“Why?”

Soo paused for a moment, thinking of the visions she has of him and the comfort she felt in his presence; of the certainty she had that Wang So would never hurt her, no matter what else happened in this world. That even if she was born Go Ha Jin, it was Hae Soo she was meant to be in this time with this person. That Wang So was the one person she shouldn’t let go of. 

“I’ll tell you soon,” Soo said finally, a smile forming on her lips. “When you’re ready to know.” 

“That’s no answer at all.”

Soo nodded and turned to leave. “Let’s go back, your highness. It grows late.”  

They talked the whole way back, or Soo talked while he nodded and listened and made “mmm” sounds every once in a while. He wouldn’t admit it, but he liked her voice. 

Hae Soo told him about how Prince Eun – she had finally stopped calling him Little Prince – had visited today, and apparently, she wasn’t going to get into trouble over the black eye she had given him, and how he had asked if he could come visit again soon. 

“I think he just wants someone to play with,” Soo said pensively. 

“For what I know, his mother’s family spoils him terribly and always let him get his own way. Maybe he likes that you don’t let him have his way,” So answered. 

“I did lecture him a bit, I’m afraid,” Soo sighed. But she didn’t regret it  

Just because she was now a thousand years removed from her time and finding ways to adapt, that didn’t mean she was going to forget all her modern sensibilities. 

“Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“It’s not my fault all you princes need to be lectured, okay?”

“What does ‘Okay’ mean?” 

Soo laughed awkwardly before answering, “It’s an expression of agreement, or that things are alright,” She answered, making the OK sign with her fingers as So blinked at her but didn’t comment further over her strange speech. Soo just went on with how she had helped Lady Hae serve tea, and about listening to Prince Baek Ah play music. 

By the time they reached Wook’s house, So had stopped thinking of the things he had done that day, and even put up with her cleaning his wound again and changing the bandage. 

He was able to part ways with Hae Soo feeling a lot better than when he found her. 

Instead, he lay in bed thinking of her, absently stroking the fresh bandage on his arm. He wondered in the back of his mind if she thought about him as well. 

---00---

It had taken So but a few days to figure out who was behind the assassination attempt. There had only been one person in the rite who had been wearing fur, and one person who had the most to gain if the crown prince died.  Wang So felt torn, between the brother that had saved his life as a child; and the mother whose love he had always craved. 

In the end, he made a choice. Hoping it had been the right one. He had ridden out to the temple where the assassins lived and confronted them… it had been a massacre. Then, for good measure, he set the temple on fire. Not a trace would remain. 

Afterwards, he had gone to tell Queen Yoo let her know she was safe, that he had made her safe. But the Queen had not been pleased that So had killed her assassins, called him a beast and yelled at him to leave. 

Wang So finally understood that he was nothing to her…

-00-

Soo couldn’t sleep. Something was making her anxious and she didn’t know what it was; all she knew was that she was worried about something. Giving up on sleep late that night, Soo decided to walk toward the prayer stones which were quickly becoming her favorite place in Songak.  

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear him, but once she did... 

“Stop!” She cried, trying to hold onto him with all her strength, keeping him from destroying any more of the prayer stones. “Stop. You have to stop.” 

He pushed her off, making her fall. “Blood?” She said to herself, finding it on her hands where she had held onto him. “Are you wounded?”

“It’s the blood of the ones I killed today,” He said with a crazed laugh, going back to destroying the nearest pile of stones, muttering about mothers and other things. 

Soo got to her feet and pulled him off again. “You have to stop now.” Her voice was heartbreakingly gentle, taking his arm with both of her hands. “You’re hurt. Are you bleeding anywhere else?”

“Have you no sense of self-preservation?” He roared, and the next thing she knew he had grabbed her shoulders and was glaring at her, shaking her a little “You should be running. I just told you I killed people!” 

“Tell me why then? Was it for fun?” She asked bluntly, surprising him enough that she managed to remove his hands from her shoulders and hold his hands instead. “I somehow doubt it, or you wouldn’t be here doing this.”

“You can’t be unafraid… even my mother thinks I’m a beast… no matter what I do. Even if I-“ Wang So fell silent, unable to admit out loud what he had done. 

“Being bad and doing bad things aren’t the same thing, your highness. Sometimes we must do bad things to survive, or to protect the people we love. Sometimes you don’t even get a say in the matter. The world is just like that.”

“Don’t delude yourself, that’s just an excuse.” And why was she excusing him?

“It’s not.” Soo said. “All I mean is that intent matters. The reasons why we do things matter. At least for me. Maybe you still hurt people and maybe you won’t be forgiven, but I can understand you.” 

“Go home, Hae Soo.” He said, backing away and forcing her to let go of him. He sounded tired and looked utterly devastated as he faded into the shadows. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Five: 

Unexpected Encounters

Over the next few days, Wang So tried his best to avoid her, which wasn’t that hard all things considered: first of all, the investigation on the assassination attempt during the rite was still ongoing and second, he still had “classes” to attend with the rest of his brothers. And when he didn’t have to go to the Palace, Wang So was good at being invisible when he wished to be. Also surprisingly, he had already learned Hae Soo’s favorite places within Wook’s household, and he could easily avoid them. In just a few days of acquaintance, he had already learned her routines, infuriating as that was. 

But fate would have it that he couldn’t avoid her forever. 

He and his brothers had been attending lessons in the palace with Ji Mong when Yo began making despairing comments about Baek Ah’s Silla family. Since they all had the same father, it was their mother’s standing that marked the true rank among his sons. 

Although Wang Won was older, his mother was from a lesser family, and thus both Wang Eun (whose grandfather could be considered one of the founding fathers of Goryeo) and Wang Jung (youngest son of the powerful Hwanghu), had a higher standing. 

Baek Ah’s grandfather had once been the powerful Silla king, but since they had been conquered, the erstwhile king was not even allowed in the capital anymore. Though Taejo seemed to like his 13 ^th son well enough, no one would believe he had any political power. 

That day, though, Wang So hadn’t been in the mood to hear Wang Yo rant about it and wound up standing up for Baek Ah, pointing out that no matter who their respective mothers were, they were still subjects of the king first and his sons second.

Baek Ah had been thankful, but tensions were high so Wook, ever the peacemaker, said that perhaps there were enough lessons for a day and that everyone was welcome back at his home for refreshments. 

Usually, So walked by himself, but that day  Baek Ah hung back to walk with him – Baek Ah was a chatter, much like Hae Soo – behind the rest of their brothers.

That’s when So spotted her in the middle of an argument with Yeon Hwa, who was intent on punishing that maid that often trailed after Hae Soo. It took him but a second to realize this was not going to end well, so he began to walk faster, with a perplexed Baek Ah in tow. 

--00--

Hae Soo knew the Fourth Prince was avoiding her and she felt rather dejected. She tried to keep herself busy and be helpful to Myung Hee to distract herself; but whenever she would come back to her room, her eyes would land on the butterfly hairpin she had yet to return to Prince So; and she would begin thinking of him all over again. 

She wondered over and over what could have happened to make him act like he had by the prayer stones. She worried over him.

Finally, annoyed at her own pining, Soo decided to return the hairpin –one less distraction – and sent Chae Ryung to put the hairpin in his room since it would be less suspicious. 

But something must have gone wrong because the next time she saw Chae Ryung, she was tied up and being whipped by another maid under the supervision of Princess Yeon Hwa. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Soo said, standing between Chae Ryung and Yeon Hwa’s maid. 

“Punishing this thieving maid. Do not interfere. I’m in charge here.” 

“Lady Hae is the lady of this house, not you. If you are going to punish someone from her staff, you should at least tell her,” Soo said. “And Chae Ryung is not a thief.” 

“Then why was she in the Fourth Prince’s room taking this?” Yeon Hwa said snidely, showing Soo the butterfly hairpin.

“I gave it to her to return to his Highness.”

“This isn’t something you could own.”

“I just told you that it belongs to the Prince. I asked Chae Ryung to return it to him since it wouldn’t be proper for me to go into his room, would it?” Never mind that she had been to his room before; the princess did not need to know that. 

“If it belongs to the Prince, then why did you have it? Perhaps you are the thief?”

“I can’t tell you why I have it, but I didn’t steal it. Why would I be giving it back if I had?”

Yeon Hwa was running out of arguments and looking a bit like a fool, which she did not appreciate. “Step aside, Hae Soo,” Yeon Hwa said through gritted teeth before ordering her maid to keep going. 

But Soo wouldn’t budge. “If you so want to hit someone, hit me. Leave Chae Ryung alone.” 

Yeon Hwa blinked then smirked. “Fine. Tie her up.” She ordered the maid, who now looked uncertain. Everyone knew how much Lady Hae dotted on her younger cousin…

But the Princess would not be deterred. When Soo turned to untie Chae Ryung, Yeon Hwa snatched the stick from the maid and struck Soo. Soo flinched and bit her lip. Her eyes teared up, but she would not cry out. Soo braced for the next strike, but it didn’t come. Instead…

“That’s enough,” Wang So said, grabbing Yeon Hwa’s arm and keeping her from swinging. 

“Orabeoni, don’t interfere with household matters; this isn’t your concern.” 

“If I heard you correctly, the issue seems to be about my property. So I beg to differ,” So said, letting her struggle to free her arm for a bit before letting her go. “She’s mine if there is a punishment to give, of which I’m not sure.” 

“I was just returning the hairpin, really. Neither Chae Ryung nor I stole it,” Soo said quickly. 

“That’s true!” Eun said, jumping in. “Soo told me- I mean, I saw her pick it up after our brother dropped it outside his room last time I was here.” It was a blatant lie, but no one seemed inclined to contradict him 

“That solves it then,” So indicated with a movement of his head that it was time for Hae Soo to leave.

“But-“Yeon Hwa was fuming. She had just been humiliated in front of all of her brothers. 

“That’s enough, Yeon Hwa,” Wook said finally. “I’m sure you have other things to do.” 

Soo finished untying Chae Ryung and quickly bowed to the princes before she took the maid away to check her wounds. Prince Eun worriedly trailed after them, offering clueless but earnest advice. 

--000—

Later that afternoon, once Chae Ryung was safely in the servant’s quarters, the wounds on her back bandaged and with Lady Hae’s permission to rest for the reminder of the afternoon, Soo decided to take a walk to clear her head. She was angry and worried, and her heart was aching a little. She really needed to calm down. 

Soo was looking down, rubbing her chest and muttering to herself when she smacked right into Prince So. Looking up at his frowning face, she quickly reached up to grab the side of her head and went “Ah, ah, aww, aww!”  

“You bumped into me,” The prince said pointedly. 

Soo straightened and defiantly rubbed her forehead for a bit more, sniffling too for good measure. “I really didn’t steal the hairpin. You dropped it that time in Damiwon, and you said I couldn’t tell anyone I had seen you then so…” She trailed off as he tensed. “That’s what happened.” 

So looked down at her. “Are you all right?” 

Before she could prevent it, a small smile formed on her lips. “I’m fine.”

“How can you be smiling after that?” 

Soo shrugged. “It could have been worse. I’m glad you came when you did.” 

“You are glad?” 

“I’m always glad to see you, your Highness. Haven’t you noticed?” Soo pouted, forgetting her troubles in lieu of teasing him a bit. 

Wang So shook his head. He would not be distracted by her pout, no matter how cute it was. “Why? Why do you say things like that?”

Soo shrugged again.

“You really aren’t afraid of me, are you? Even after what you saw last time?”

“I know you are not someone I should take lightly but no, I’m not afraid of you. I know you won’t hurt me.” 

“How can you be sure?” 

Soo paused for a long time; this was the second time he asked her why she knew she was safe with him. And Soo thought of the visions and dreams that came at her from time to time. They were growing hazier and far in between as time went on, but Soo was sure of something: if all of this had happened before and ended in tragedy like she had seen (or remembered or whatever the visions were) this was the one person who never left her side, even when it had cost him. 

He had loved her. 

And he deserved the truth… as much as she could tell him. 

“What if I told you that when I was drowning, I saw how our future would be like if we didn't stick together? That bad things would happen when we are apart? That we spend the next thousand years looking for each other but never see one another again...That this is our chance to make our own stars?”

“Is that why you are pushing for this?” He said, awkwardly waving to the space between them. “Some sort of… fate?”

“Not entirely,” Soo said thoughtfully. “That is much simpler than fate.”

“What? Do I make your heart flutter every time you see me?” He said sarcastically.

“No,” She said succinctly and tried not to laugh at his glare. “I mean, you can make my heart flutter when you smile – which you don’t do often enough, by the way; but it’s not that. Every day when I first see you, I feel peaceful. Safe.  Since the first day when I didn’t know you and I was pretty sure you were going to throw me off your horse? I felt it then.”

He had been hurt too much in this life to take her words at face value; he wasn’t sure if he could believe her, trust her or ever talk about it like her, like it was meant to be, like they were writing it in the stars. 

But he had to admit that there was a pull there. That when he first saw her by the riverbank, his first impulse had been to ride off with her and keep her to himself, an impulse that was overruled by his deep instinct to deny himself what he wanted, before someone else did it for him.

There was the fact his feet found their way to her without meaning to, like right now. That when he stood by her side, he felt like he was in his proper place; and when she smiled at him -when she laughed - he felt like he had finally arrived somewhere… where he was meant to be.

“Then should I say you are mine? Call you my person?” he asked dryly, looking closely at her reaction. 

Soo gave him one of those smiles of hers that showed her dimples, and his own heart felt pretty fluttery. “Your person? I’d like that.” 

And when Soo came closer, he panicked, stepped back and left her standing there, not daring to look back in case he was tempted to do something stupid, like grabbing her and never letting her go.  

Soo stared after him, smiling. She was wearing him down. Otherwise he would have just called her crazy or mocked her, and not run off like he was doing now. 

Feeling quite cheerful, Soo began to hum a wordless tune as she made her way back to her room, pretending not to notice that the Fourth Prince was following her.

--00---

Chapter Text

Chapter Six: 

The Discovery of You

So went back to trying to avoid her, but it was harder than before. Hae Soo was always there no matter where he turned. And she always smiled at him, like seeing him really made her happy. Whenever possible, and sometimes even when it was inappropriate, she would come close and begin chattering at him, unconcerned by his lack of response. 

So tried not to make eye contact or ask her any questions; she took any and all reactions as encouragement. It was while trying to avoid her that he began to walk the various paths around Wook’s compound, particularly the one that went up the mountain, offering a view of the Palace in the distance. 

It had seemed like a perfect hiding spot, and had worked for all of two days. 

“You have managed to scare off all the maids, you know?” Soo had said conversationally, like she hadn’t just materialized out of nowhere with a basket of food for him.

Her voice surprised him and he said the first thing that came to mind, trying to pretend he wasn’t glad to see her. “Did you get in trouble and that’s why they sent you with my food?”

“Of course not! I’m an angel,” Soo said indignantly. “I volunteered.” 

.

This started a new pattern between them: if he was up in the mountain, it was Hae Soo that came to bring him food. (Though it really was a servant’s job.) Before long, he found himself waiting for her. Sometimes she chattered at him; sometimes she just sat quietly and shared his food. 

Until an unusually cold day where she took more time than usual. So moved closer to the path she usually took, trying to listen for her and wondered if he should go down the path. Knowing how clumsy she was, she might have tripped and hurt herself… but before he could make a choice, his ears perked up. He heard the sound of rustling leaves and then she came into view. Without thinking, Wang So went to meet her and help her the last few steps. 

“Thank you,” She said, grabbing onto him as he took the basket. “Today the path was harder than usual. Sorry I’m late.”

“You shouldn’t come if it’s going to make you sick.” Because she did look a bit off. 

Soo shook her head. “No, this is good for me.” She closed her eyes, leaning on the tree he had propped her against. 

“How is this good for you?”

With her eyes still closed she told him: “My heart is not very good. I think it held too much sorrow in my past life, and now it’s tired and sometimes hurts.” 

“I’m still waiting for the part where climbing the mountain is good for you.” 

“Walking is excellent exercise for the heart, Your Highness. It makes it stronger. Swimming would be good too, but I don’t really like the water since I almost drowned, which probably means I don’t even know how to swim.” Soo said, growing comfortable now that she was catching her breath. “I’m going to get my heart strong, so we can be together for a long, long time. Don’t worry.” 

He wanted to say he wasn’t worried, but the words wouldn’t come out. She looked pale today, her light a little dimmer “Have some water if you have already caught your breath.” 

Soo obeyed, smiling at his worried frown - which he probably didn’t even know he was making - and afterward she did feel better. Soo felt a little more tired than usual, though she did her best to hide it. Maybe she was coming down with a cold or something; the season was heading towards winter, after all. 

Usually he tried to get rid of her as soon as the food was gone, but today he let her rest. “I should be heading back,” Soo said eventually. 

So nodded and stood up as well, taking the basket from her. “Let’s go.” 

Soo was surprised but followed him, claiming to be fine each time she tripped or lagged; until So simply wrapped an arm around her to keep her steady, not letting go until Wook’s house was in sight. 

With a deep breath, Soo straightened and pinched her cheeks to bring a little color; she didn’t want to worry Myung Hee. “I’ll be going now. Thanks for keeping me company,” She took the basket from him before he could react and disappeared into the house, calling for her cousin. 

---000---

The next day, he didn’t see her at all as he was summoned to the palace by Crown Prince Mu. They were still looking into the assassination attempt, closing in on who had owned the temple. So knew it was only a matter of time before they found out it was Queen Yoo; he wasn’t certain what he would do then. 

He found himself wanting to talk to Hae Soo about it. Even if he couldn’t say everything (or anything, really), he knew she would understand. 

By the time he made it back to Wook’s house, it was mid-afternoon and he had half expected to see Hae Soo running around, causing trouble in such an endearing way that no one really scolded her for it. 

But there were no traces of her. It astonished him how bereft that made him feel. 

--00--

Soo was feeling miserable. She had a cold and was running a high fever, which was bad… but the worst part was not seeing Prince So, and the fact he hadn’t even asked after her - she had made Chae Ryung tell her if he had. She fell into fitful sleep that night. The second day was even worse: now she was also bored and still feverish. She couldn’t even read to pass the time. 

For the first time since arriving in Goryeo, Soo missed TV.

And still, he hadn’t asked after her, even after the doctor had come and gone. Soo told herself she was not going to cry over him. She was not. 

Okay, she might have a little, she didn’t know between the fever and the tonic the doctor had left; she couldn’t be sure. By midafternoon, she woke up and her fever had finally broken. At least she could probably keep chasing after him tomorrow, Soo thought morosely while she waited for Chae Ryung to bring her some dinner. 

Then she noticed something: a small bouquet of white, pink, and purple wildflowers tied together with a length of cloth like the ones Prince So used to tie his hair sometimes. Soo recognized the pink and whites flowers—Prince So had pointed them out a few days before, saying they were probably the last of the season. The purple ones she hadn’t seen before, but they were lovely. And only one person would think of bringing her wildflowers. 

She buried her face in the flowers. They made her feel better in a way no medicine could. 

—

After a good night’s sleep, Soo felt much better. She insisted on getting up and dressing, even though Myung Hee wanted her to stay in bed one more day. 

“I just want to leave my room, Unnie! Please? I’ll sit and rest. I promise.” Hae Soo had whined and pouted until Myung Hee relented.

Soo put on one of her simpler hanboks, which just happened to be pink and white. In lieu of the hair adornments she usually wore, Soo cut some flowers from her bouquet and made Chae Ryung put them in her braids. The rest of the flowers she would press and keep. 

As soon as she was settled in the tea room and Myung Hee was called away to tend to some household matters, Soo sent Chae Ryung to fetch her a tray so she could prepare some tea… and she got ready to make her own escape. Maybe she couldn’t get to the top of the mountain today, but sometimes So liked to walk in the gardens, maybe he was there today…

Soo tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack, looking to see if anyone was around. She didn’t realize he was there until she felt his breath on her cheek and then: “What are you doing, Hae Soo?”

Soo jumped and So only avoided a bump to his nose because he moved fast. “I’m not doing anything,” She said, eyes wide and innocent. 

“You were going to sneak off,” So declared, his eyes quickly scanning her face and noting her color was better than it had been at the mountain a few days ago. He also noticed the flowers in her hair and smiled despite himself, a smile that widened when Soo began to protest her innocence. 

“I was not,” She said, indignant. “I just wanted to see if Chae Ryung was coming back with the tea. I thought maybe she wouldn’t be able to open the door with her hands full.” 

“Of course, my mistake,” He replied sarcastically, surprising her by placing his hands on her shoulders and steering her back toward a chair. “I brought you a book. Thought you would be bored.” 

“Oh,” Soo looked at the bound volume he handed her. “Thank you.” She blushed and wouldn’t look at him. 

“What is it? If you don’t like it, you can just say so.” He sounded annoyed but Soo now knew him enough to realize he was probably just embarrassed that she hadn’t liked his gift. 

Soo didn’t want him to think that, so she decided to tell him the truth. “I can’t read.”

“You can’t read?”

“Since I hit my head,” Soo admitted. “I can’t read hanja. Or write either. I haven’t told Unnie because I don’t want her to worry. It’s not good for her to worry about me.” 

“I see.” So reached for the book she still held in her lap. “Do you want me to read it to you?”

“Would you?” 

“Just for a little while. I have things to do.” 

The book turned out to be an account of the time a scholar from Baekje spent in the Chinese court during the Tang Dynasty. At first Soo thought it would be boring, but it was filled with all sorts of court gossip—which Soo didn’t feel bad about enjoying since most of those people had been dead for decades. So’s reading was a little stiff at first, but Soo was just happy to hear his voice. 

When Chae Ryung returned—and she almost dropped the tray upon seeing the Fourth Prince sitting there—Soo asked her to put the tray on the table before shooing her away. Then she sat down to prepare some loose-leaf tea, pouring the first cup for Prince So and placing it by his hand. Then she took her own cup and settled down to listen.

..

She didn’t last long. Soo probably was still weak from the fever but hadn’t wanted to admit it; So was glad he had managed to make her stay in one place. He had been in the middle of a description of an elaborate banquet when he had felt her body lean into his, and her mumbling sleepily that she was NOT sleepy. 

So read a few more lines as her breathing evened out and then set the book down. Soo had curled up in the large chair next to his. She seemed comfortable enough, so he decided not to move her: instead he covered her with his outer robe before leaving to meet Crown Prince Mu

—000-

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven

No Place to Run

Up until the moment So opened his mouth, he hadn’t been sure of what he was going to say. He had thought about it over and over without reaching any particular conclusion but now time had run out.

Crown Prince Mu and Ji Mong had just revealed to the King the identity of the Assassin’s Temple owner: Queen Yoo.

“You don’t seem surprised, Fourth Prince.” Taejo had commented, seeing his fourth son’s impassive face.

“I’m not surprised, Pyeha. I’m well aware of what Her Majesty is capable of doing.” He said, motioning vaguely toward his face. “And that she stands to gain the most if something happens to the Crown Prince.”

“That’s a serious accusation.” Taejo cut in before So went on.

“I’m not making an accusation, Pyeha. Just pointing out facts- It’s logical to assume that since the temple was hers, she would be involved, wouldn’t it? And If she was willing to go that far, logic dictates she will try again until she succeeds. She won’t stop until she is stopped. I mean, she didn’t stop after this, did she?” This time he actually taped the half mask he wore.

“What are you suggesting?”

“I wouldn’t dare to suggest anything,” So said in the same monotone he had been affecting so far. “I just wonder how many more of your children will you throw away before she succeeds, how many must die.”  

Taejo paled, So couldn’t tell if his words had affected him or merely made him furious at the allusions of his treatment of him and, later on, Queen Hwangbo, Wook and Yeon Hwa.

“The Queen arrives!” One of the eunuchs announced before the doors opened to reveal Queen Yoo and the Third Prince, Wang Yo.

So bowed to the king and to the Crown Prince before turning and leaving without even looking at his mother and brother. Instead, he went to the Astronomy Tower, enjoy it while he could.

“It was her.” So said as Crown Prince Mu came to stand next to him a while later.

“You are sure.” 

So nodded, “I killed the monks. All of them.”

“You were trying to protect your mother.” Mu said in a sigh.

“I’ve since realized I don’t have a mother.” So said, his voice betraying some of the left-over sadness he still felt.

“Were you part of it?”

“No. I would never go against you or let anyone harm you. I owe you my life. I just wanted her to-” He couldn’t bring himself to admit all he wanted was his mother’s affection, that he would have settled for acknowledgement.

But Mu understood and even placed a comforting hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Anyway, Yo is involved too, so I would be careful around him if I were you.”

“Only a fool wouldn’t be careful around Yo.” Mu said flatly, and So almost smiled.

“I’ll tell his Majesty everything if you want me to. And I have witness that saw Yo in the woods with the assassins, but I’ll be thankful if we don’t involve her.”

“Her?”

So skipped over that, “You don’t have to keep your promise either, about letting me stay if I helped you find the assassins. I wasn’t much help at all.”

Mu was too stunned to respond to that.

…000…

Hae Soo had been minding her own business, Prince Wook had given her leave to go to the market to find some herbs she wanted, to make Myung Hee a tea that she hoped would ease her lungs. Soo took advantage of the fact that Queen Hwangbo was visiting the Eighth Prince today, so she set out with Chae Ryung, intent on returning before she was missed.

It had all been going well, they found the herbs the needed and the store owner recommended a few more and there was enough left-over coin to buy a few sweets to share with Chae Ryung before they returned home, in fact they were half way there when Hae Soo saw a familiar young man being dragged away by a group of rough looking men.

“Chae Ryung-ah, wasn’t that…·

“The Fourteenth Prince, Ahgassi.” The maid confirmed.

“He seems to be in trouble.”

“We should hurry back and let his highness know, he’ll know what to do.”

Soo nodded, “All right, you do that. I’ll go try to make time.” She set out running before Chae Ryung could stop her.

Soo stopped to grab the fallen branch of a tree once she saw the men making a circle around 14^th Prince, she closed her eyes, and started to run, screaming, and swinging her branch wildly.

And for all of 10 seconds, it worked. The men backed off. But all too soon she lost the advantage of her surprise attack, one of the men knocked the branch from her hands and now both she and the 14^th Prince were in danger.

…0…

Wang So didn’t know what made him look, he had been making his way back to Wook’s home when he noticed a flash of pink run toward the edge of town. Unease began to prickle in the back of his neck as he pulled the horse’s reins to change directions.

Just what trouble had Hae Soo landed in today?

As he approached, So could hear various voices shouting, grasped that the thugs currently surrounding Hae Soo and his brother Jung were doing so on the orders of a man who wanted revenge on Jung. The 14^th Prince had lost a fight with the man, and the Queen had his arm cut off for having hit the Prince.

Even if, as Baek Ah had told him, Jung was the one dressing like a peasant and joining prize fights in the market, the man had been punished. It all sounded rather stupid to So, as fighting for anything other than survival seemed trivial.

He was considering letting them both find a way out of this mess on their own – perhaps then Jung would learn that there were consequences to his actions, perhaps then Soo would learn to think things through before rushing into a forest full of thugs! – when one of the men made a grab for Hae Soo.

Wang So was not prepared for the fury that came over him…

--

Just as Hae Soo was beginning to think they were doomed, right about the time Prince Jung was being overcome by two thugs, another tried to grab her. She managed to sidestep him, but the man was determined and tried again. But before he could touch her, the man was yanked backward and tossed aside. It would have been comical if not for the very irate 4^th Prince that materialized in front of her, ordering her to say behind him.

It took the thugs a moment to realize they were no longer fighting Jung, but soon screams of “It’s the Wolf-Dog!” rang out and the men began to scatter, leaving behind only the most fool hardy.

Prince So remained calm, fending them off with ease. This wasn’t the most men he had faced at once, nor where they particularly skilled. He would not kill in front of Hae Soo, but even without unsheathing his sword, the 4^th Prince clearly had the upper hand, and Soo had to admit that it might be turning her on.

Except that once the rest of the thugs had gone and Prince Wook arrived, Prince So wouldn’t even look at her. Instead he went to confer with his eighth brother, deciding he was taking Jung to the palace while Wook would return Soo home.

“Your highness?” Soo started but was only met with a glare as he dragged Jung away.

Soo stood there looking like a lost puppy, so much so that Wook gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder. “We better get back before Lady Hae finds out and worries.”

Soo sniffled, but nodded and followed him quietly.

They had managed to reach the main house before Myung Hee found out, but then Yeon Hwa had to tell her.

“But everything is fine now!” Hae Soo said quickly, hugging Myung Hee, “And I got the things for the tea I want you to try!”

“Are you sure you are alright?” Myung Hee asked, letting Soo lead her away.

“Yes.” Soo said, grinning.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Baek Ah turned to the princess. “I don’t know why you had to tell her! Nothing happened and Lady Hae is sick, she needs to be calm”

“Hae Soo should think of that before doing foolish, undignified things that reflect badly on this household.” The princess countered.

“That’s enough, Yeon Hwa.” Wook said. He was none too pleased with his sister, remembering how she had been telling him he should take Myung Hee on her offer to divorce him. “Lady Hae’s health is not to be tangled in your tantrums.”

“Orabeoni!” 

“I don’t mean to be harsh, sister, but Myung Hee’s heath is our priority right now. She has been doing better lately,” Since Soo’s accident, oddly enough, “I don’t want her to have setbacks.”

Yeon Hwa left, fuming while her brother stared after her.

“Maybe she is right, though, maybe you should talk to Hae Soo.” Baek Ah said eventually.

“Maybe.” Wook said noncommittally. He might not have to do it by the time So was done with her.

“Come on, Myung Hee says Hae Soo’s tea is quite good.”

--

Meanwhile at the Palace, Prince So watched as his brother changed from his bloodied and dirty clothes into fresh ones, bruises already blooming all over his skin. Privately, So enjoyed watching him wince when he moved.

“Baek Ah told me you do this often; it must be if you know people like that.”

“Today I was just unlucky.”

“You were unlucky? Because of you a man lost his arm and his household was ruined. How does that make you unlucky? Better yet, how are you going to take care of it?”

“I told you I didn’t know. I didn’t do it.”

“Because you didn’t know does that mean you are not responsible? You are a Prince. Don’t you know you hold more responsibility the higher up you are?”

“Since when have you had a high position? You aren’t even allowed to live in the Palace.” Jung said arrogantly. “You are the only one our mother treats coldly. Or are you just jealous of a younger brother who might show off? Maybe Yo is right about you, it’s a shame we have the same mother.”

The slap surprised both of them. Before today, So would never have thought that he would raise a hand to one of his younger siblings, but Jung had gone too far and this day had already been too long. “Stupid kid.”

Before Jung could answer, Queen Yoo arrived and without a thought pushed So aside catching him by surprise, making him lose his balance and slam into a table, barely managing to catch himself.

“Don’t go near him.” The Queen said, standing between her sons, protecting the youngest. “Jung you’ll be in danger if you go near him.”

“But he saved me today, Eomeoni.” Jung said quickly and awkwardly. “I would have lost my arm if it weren’t for him.”

“Don’t be fooled, he only brings misfortune to the people around him.” The Queen said to her youngest son.

“I bring misfortune? Funny, I could say the same thing about you, Eomeoni” 

Jung was taken aback, So had never spoken to their mother like that, his older brother had always seemed so… eager for their mother approval in the few times he had seen them interact.

“Just say that you won’t go near him. Say it now!”

“Eomeoni, So really helped-“

“If that’s what you want, that’s what I’ll do.” So deliberately bumped into Jung as he left the room, “How long are you going to live being protected by her?” he asked in a condescending voice, “Just know that if you put my person in danger again like you did today, not even the queen’s protection will save you then.” He added before leaving mother and son together.

´

So wasn’t in the mood to head home yet, instead he walked around until he got to the Prayer Stones. He had been coming here a few times, trying to rebuild the little shrines he had destroyed before.

He picked one of them and began to pile the stones carefully, just to have something to do, while in the back of his head many thoughts churned. The Queen would insist on his leaving as soon as possible, even without finding out the things he had said to the king, or his confession to Prince Mu.

Wang So hoped he could finish repairing this before he had to leave Songak. He hoped he could show it to Hae Soo before he was ordered back to Shinju.

.

Much later, he made his way back to the room he occupied in Wook’s household. The house was in complete darkness, but it didn’t bother him, everyone was already abed except…

“What are you doing here?” So asked quietly to a young woman who was wandering the hallways outside his room.

“Your highness!” The girl, whom he now recognized as Hae Soo’s maid, bent in a deep bow.

“Keep your voice down.” So said. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for Lady Soo, she told me she wanted to speak to you but hasn’t gotten back to her room and it’s late.”

So looked around and quickly found a small form sitting on the floor near his door, slumped against a big plotted plant that concealed her, fast asleep. So turned on his heels and approached her without making a sound.

“Ahgassi!!” The maid yell-whispered moving as if to wake her, but So stopped her.

Instead he lifted her up, motioning with his head for the maid to lead them back to Soo’s room. Hae Soo barely stirred, her white sleeping hanbok concealed beneath the folds of a black robe – it took him a moment to realize it was the robe he had used to cover her, the day she had fallen asleep while he read to her. It was strange seeing her wear his clothes, almost as strange as how good it felt to have her this close, though he knew it was all highly inappropriate.

All too soon, Soo’s maid opened the door to a room and rushed inside, lighting a small candle near the bed, and pulling the covers back so the prince could settle Hae Soo on the bed. So pulled the blankets over her sleeping form until only the top of her head was visible.

Earlier, he had been so angry at her for putting herself in danger but now that he knew he would have to leave soon, So didn’t want to waste time feeling angry.

So allowed himself to push a bit of Soo’s hair back from her face, it was soft and fine, like the rest of her.

“Your lady seems to find herself in trouble too often,” So said to the maid. “You should take better care of her.”

000

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight:

A Bent in the Road

When Crown Prince Mu had summoned him to an audience with the King, Wang So hadn’t know what his intentions were, he had been prepared to confess to killing the monks if that’s what his brother wanted, he owed him that. But instead Mu had surprised him by requesting that the king let him stay as one of his people.

“Your mother might have attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince, why should I let you stay?” Taejo rounded on So.

For a moment, So was tempted to ask if the King was planning on sending away Yo and Jung as well, but instead answered with: “I have no mother, your majesty. Queen Shinmyeongsunseong has made that plenty clear.”

There was a moment of silence following that statement. “What about the reason why you were adopted into the Shinju Clan? To console Consort Kang who had lost her son.”

“Not even for one second was I considered a son.” So said slowly, looking straight at his father for once. “I was just a hostage and not one they cared to keep alive.”

Ji Mong had the presence of mind to break the tension, parroting about how So’s star was aligned with Mu’s and was rising over Songak.

“What will you be to the Crown Prince then? Shinju Kang or Chungju Yoo?” King Taejo demanded.

Wang So took to his knees, so his actions matched his words. “I will be neither. I don’t have any ties to either clan, nor have they ever made a claim of me. If I were allowed to stay, I won’t be a son nor a brother, just a loyal subject to the Crown Prince and to your Majesty”

…

Prince Mu took it upon himself to show him where his rooms would be, in the section of the palace reserved for the unmarried princes that had left their mother’s households. He was given one of the smaller residences, which shared a courtyard with Baek Ah’s.  Both Jung and Eun still lived at their respective mother’s palaces.

“I could try find you a place in my household…”

“I’ll be fine here.” So said. “You have done more than enough for me, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience your family.”

Mu came closer and put both hands on So’s shoulders, like he used to do when So was little and Mu wanted him to pay attention to something he said. “You are my family too, So-yah. I couldn’t do anything when father sent you away all those years ago, though I knew he shouldn’t have.”

“I still tried to cover up for the queen.” So said. “I might have put you in danger.”

“I put you in danger when I asked you to take my place during the rite, and I shouldn’t have. Let’s just say that we are even.” 

So bowed to his brother in acceptance.

“Well, then, I’ll leave you to get settled. I’m sure you have things to bring from the Eighth Prince’s household.”

He didn’t have that much, but he nodded anyway. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I meant what I said earlier, you will be one of my people and I will keep you busy!” Mu said as he reached for the door before pausing for moment. “Did you really kill them all?”  So shrugged uncomfortably and nodded. To his surprise, Mu just shook his head, “Is it wrong if I am impressed?”

So couldn’t help the surprised laugh that burst from his lips.

---000---

Hae Soo hadn’t known what to think when she woke up in her own room without a recollection of how she got there until Chae Ryung admitted that the 4th Prince had brought her after she had fallen asleep outside his room.

Chae Ryung said he didn’t seem angry, just tired and Soo hoped that meant he was no longer mad about the whole fiasco in the woods the previous day, but by the time she had been made presentable, the Prince had been long gone, having been summoned to the Palace by the Crown Prince.

Hae Soo distracted herself as much as she could, but by the end of the day she just wanted to clear her head. In the end, she decided to take a walk – though she had to sneak away from Chae Ryung who seemed intent on trailing after her quite assiduously.

Maybe it was just her mood, but suddenly she felt like visiting the Prayer Stones. She hadn’t been back since the night he had seen Prince So tearing them apart, the thought of them made her sad, but not enough to keep her away tonight.

Her feet were swift and silent, and she burrowed into Prince So’s outer robe, which she had taken to wearing. She paused, stunned for a moment when she saw not only who was there but what he was doing.

 Wang So was crouched down by a pile of stones, which he was stacking carefully, it seemed to be the last one out of the ones that he had destroyed, the rest had already been rebuild.

“Where are you sneaking off to?” He asked, without turning to look at her.

“I’m not sneaking!” Soo said indignantly,

“Then what are you doing here? Its late.”

“I’ve been waiting for you all day!” Soo said indignantly but then smiled as she came closer to him. “You have rebuilt them all.”

Prince So nodded, “I wanted to finish before I had to leave.”

“You are leaving?” Soo asked anxiously as he stood up and went to sit at the steps of the building behind them – an old abandoned gatehouse. He was about to pull himself up when he looked at her up and down, before unceremoniously lifting her up first.

He then jumped up, leaving a bit of space between them… only to have her scoot closer.

“I’m going to be living in the palace from now on.”

“Oh,” Soo looked down. “Since it’s what you wanted, I’m glad. Just be sure to behave, okay? Don’t go around running over people with your horse,” She started with a tone between deadpan and long-suffering. “Not everyone takes it as well as I do.”

“I didn’t run you over, and you made me fall in the end.”

“… And don’t go around yelling at people,”

“Yah!”

“Or threating them with death… most people don’t know you are joking.”

“I’m usually not joking.”

“Try not to be too scary…”

“Are you quite done?”

Soo broke into a smile when she heard in his tone that he was getting riled up, “Also, try to eat well, and sleep well. Don’t have bad dreams if you can help it.” So’s breath caught, his shoulders relaxing as a curious warmth started inside him. “And don’t over work yourself.”

So nodded, already missing her nagging, missing… her.

Hae Soo nodded and took a deep breath, looking up. “I love the stars you can only see in Goryeo.” She said softly, out of the blue before adding more excitedly “Oh, look! Snow!” Soo reached her hand out, catching a few flakes in her palm while more were already collecting on her hair. “Pretty.”

So looked up as well, allowing himself to enjoy this moment, letting her press herself to his side as more snow gathered.

“Are you ever going to give me back this robe?” He asked, pulling up the hood.

“No,” Soo grinned. “It’s warm. And all my clothes are light colored, so this is perfect for sneaking around.”

“I thought you said you don’t sneak.”

Soo scrunched up her nose, “Only to see you, your highness.”

So sighed, “You are a strange little person Hae Soo.”

Soo leaned forward, getting awfully close to him without actually touching “I’m your strange little person, Wang So, don’t forget.”

--00--

Over the next few days, Hae Soo was all sighs and listlessness, and it wasn’t hard to guess the reason why. Hae Myung Hee observed with a fond smile, remembering her own early infatuation with the Eight Prince. She tried to distract Soo by having her help more with the household in small ways while also keeping her away from Princess Yeon Hwa.

Hae Soo even expressed some interest on making some ‘bathing aids’ to give to Myung Hee’s mother in law – whom they would be visiting in the palace in a few days – and got permission to go with Chae Ryung to the market in town – accompanied by a bemused Thirteenth Prince.

Wang Baek Ah listened patiently as Hae Soo explained the uses of different herbs and while he was piled with packages. As they walked back, Chae Ryung said she would walk ahead to get some other servants to help with the packages.

“Fourth brother told me about your problem,” Baek Ah said.

“What problem?” Soo said distractedly, going over her ingredients.

“The one where you can’t read.”

“Oh, that. Don’t tell Unnie.”

“I wasn’t planning on it; she worries about you enough as it is. And she has expressed some concern that you have seemed to forget a lot of your etiquette lessons, so I offered to help you with that, and maybe we can make some time to see about the reading thing too.”

Hae Soo let out an excited squeal, dropped her packages and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

“It’s fine.” Baek Ah said, a bit surprised but also endeared. “You know, Nonna says you an are I very much alike. I’m not sure, but I would like to find out.”

“We are going to be great friends, your highness. You just don’t know it yet.” Hae Soo said with conviction, getting a faint image in her head of Wang Baek Ah, they were both wearing white and, though she didn’t understand what was happening in her vision, she understood that whatever had lead her to wear mourning clothes, it had been made bearable because of the person next to her.

“If you say so.” Baek Ah said, overcoming his surprise. “Now, lesson one, you probably shouldn’t jump on people like that.”

Soo rolled her eyes but bend down to retrieve her packages. “Come along, I’ll make you some tea to apologize, and you can play for Unnie, she’ll like that.”

-*-*-

It was much later when Wang Baek Ah made his way home, feeling stuffed and content after spending the afternoon with Hae Soo and Lady Hae, he made his way to the little courtyard he shared with his Fourth Brother, surprised to find him sitting there, looking up at the stars.

“Don’t you love the stars you can only see in Goryeo?” Wang So asked after their greeting.

Baek Ah looked up, “The sky is pretty tonight.” He conceded. They remained in silence for a moment before he continued. “I spoke to Hae Soo today, and she accepted my help.”

“I’m glad.”

“She also sent you this,” Baek Ah said, pulling a small package from his robes. On top there was a small card, with a childish scrawl that read ‘Eat Well, Rest Well’. “It took her 10 tries to get that neat.”

Inside there were an assortment of small tea cakes, all his favorites.

Baek Ah smiled, looking at his fearsome Fourth Brother stare at a plate of cakes like they were the most wonderous things in the world.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine:

A Brief Meeting

It seemed like winter came overnight that year, Hae Soo had woken up to see the grounds covered with sparkling snow and her breath fogging in front of her as she looked out the window of her rooms.

It would have been perfect, if not for the sudden vision that came to her mind: a pale hand dropping a blood-stained handkerchief onto the white snow, and the sound of labored breaths before they stopped completely.

The vision made her anxious, so she dressed as quickly as she could and bolted for the kitchens, where the cook and her staff where just starting to prepare for the day.

“Aghassi!” The cook said with only a semblance of deference, she was one of Princess Yeon Hwa’s people, but was experienced enough to not overtly antagonize Hae Soo. “Do you need something? We are just preparing for breakfast, so-“

“That’s fine, keep going, I just need to prepare something for Lady Hae.” Hae Soo waved her off, grabbed a small bowl and went straight for where the herbs were stored, returning with a mix of herbs while muttering to herself something about water temperatures.

Darting in between the kitchen staff, she prepared a hot infusion with ginger, lemon and other expectorants.

“We are already preparing tea for Lady Hae, Aghassi.” The cook complained.

“I’m sure she’ll have some of it as well. Excuse me.” Without waiting for an answer, she went off to Lady Hae’s rooms, where she found Sun Ha – Myung Hee’s personal maid about to go in.

“Aghassi, you are up early.” Sun Ha said with a tired smile. “I’m afraid Lady Hae is a bit tired; she didn’t have an easy night and woke up with a cough.”

“I imagined, I brought her some tea for it.” She waved her tray a little.

“Go in, she’ll be happy to see you, but don’t linger too much, let her rest.”

“Thank you,”

Myung Hee was laying under several blankets. “You are up ear-“ Myung Hee was cut off by a short cough that had Hae Soo rushing forward.

“This room is too cold!” Hae Soo complained, turning to Sun Ha, who had followed in, “We need to bring some extra heaters in here,”

“I’ll see what I can find.”

“Take the one from my room and see if the kitchen can spare a couple of the small stoves, the ones they use to keep food warm for the offerings.”

“What do you want those for, Child?”

“We’ll bring them here and heat up water, it’ll keep the room warmer longer and it will help Unnie breathe better.”

“My lady?”

“We might as well try.” Lady Hae asked, while Hae Soo helped her sit up.

“Meanwhile drink this tea, it will warm you up from the inside,”

Myung Hee smiled indulgently and took a few sips of the cup Hae Soo carried, surprised by how sweet the drink it was when it smelled rather medicinal. “I meant to send for you later today,”

“Yes, Unnie?”

“We’ll need to visit Queen Hwangbo at the palace before the New Year festival, to pay our respects. We need to prepare gifts. I was wondering if you could prepare some of the bathing aids for Queen Hwangbo,”

“Of course, if she has a scent, she particularly likes, I’ll try to incorporate it.”

“I’m not sure, but we could ask my sister-in-law,” Myung Hee laughed at the face, Hae Soo made, and took another sip of tea. “Then perhaps we can ask the Eight Prince,” she added.

“Ask me what?”

“Your highness,” both women said almost at once, Hae Soo adding a small curtsy, more out of reflex than anything else, and sitting back down on Myung Hee’s bed.

“We were wondering if you knew Queen Hwangbo’s favorite scent or flower, Hae Soo is going to help me prepare a gift for her for our upcoming visit to the Palace.”

“I see, well, she is not much for flowery scents but likes fresh things like lavender.”

Hae Soo nodded, “I can work with that.”

“You should also prepare a gift for Queen Yoo, in case we run into her, it would be rude otherwise.” Myung Hee pointed out.

“Of course.” Hae Soo stood up. “Finish your tea, Unnie, I’ll make you more later. I’m going to go help Sun Ha with finding those heaters.”

“Heaters?” The Eight Prince asked, glancing at the heater already working.

“So Unnie doesn’t catch a chill, your Highness.”

Prince Wook nodded, “The weather did turn suddenly. Well, you can take the one from my library, I will be at the palace all day so I won’t use that room.”

“Thank you, your highness. I’ll go fetch it now.”

Wook waited until Hae Soo’s footsteps had faded before turning to his wife. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“A bit better after the Hae Soo’s tea.”

“She has strange ideas, but they seem to help.” Wook admitted. “Are you planning on taking her to the palace with you?”

“I think so. Much as I try to shield her from it, it’s only matter of time before our clan makes arrangements for her marriage, exposing her to the court, having the favor of a Queen might improve her odds.”

“Or draw untoward attention toward her.”

“I hope it’s the first and not the latter.” Myung Hee said, leaning back on her pillow. She had been fretting over Hae Soo’s future for a while now, even before her accident. As an orphan, without influential parents to speak up for her, Hae Soo would be someone easy to sacrifice in pursuit of the family’s political ambitions, bringing her into the Eight Prince’s household had only been a temporary solution, one that would only work while she, Lady Hae, lived, and some days Myung Hee wasn’t so certain how long that would be.

-*-*-

Hae Soo prepared for the visit to the palace in between taking care of Myung Hee, who, after a few days of rest, was feeling a bit better, and even had the energy to ask for the dressmaker to come to the compound to make them new clothes for winter.

The day of the visit was relatively warm – for the season – but Hae Soo still fussed over Myung Hee, making sure she was warm and safe inside the small carriage that was transporting them to the palace along with the eight prince – who rode beside them – and their maids.

Meeting Queen Hwangbo was actually kind of nice, it seemed to Hae Soo that the third queen was a shrewd woman but not cruel or evil, just out to protect her own – she would go to great lengths to do that but wasn’t outright petty just because – and she seemed delighted with the soaps Hae Soo had prepared, thanking her kindly for them.

“If it won’t bother the Queen, perhaps Hae Soo could be allowed to look at the garden? She has a love for plants.” Myung Hee said, mostly because she would like a moment to talk to the Queen.

“It won’t bother me at all, it’s not particularly pretty this time of year, but fresh air does good to a body, doesn’t it?” The Queen said placidly.

“Thank you, your highness, Lady Hae. I’ll be outside then.”

As she had said, the Hwangbo Queen’s gardens weren’t spectacular, just orderly, and well-tended, but Hae Soo was spared from having to interact with anyone else while walking there, and if she wandered a bit more and happened to meet certain Fourth Prince, well… who was she to oppose fate?

She might help it by wandering a bit farther than she really should, but she was rewarded when the Fourth Prince startled her by pulling her behind a column near the entrance of the common gardens.

“What are you doing here?”

“Good day to you, too, Your Highness.” Hae Soo said with a smile, not at all bothered by how close they were standing. “To answer your question, I’m here with Lady Hae, paying a visit to Queen Hwangbo,”

“You have wandered far from here palace.”

“Not that far if you cut through the gardens like I did.” She said, stepping aside to look through the pockets of her hanbok, “Here!” She said, producing a small packet sealed with twine. “For you.”

“What is it?” He asked, unwrapping the small parcel to encounter two smooth, square cakes of soap, with a simple diamond pattern on top.

“Soap. Or bathing aids as Lady Hae calls them.”

“Are you trying to tell me I need a bath?”

“Of course not, that would be both improper and untrue.” She said primly. “They are just a gift. This one,” she pointed to one with a slight, amber tint to it, “Has a scent of sandalwood, and this one,” she pointed to a slightly green one, “is Lemongrass and Mint, like your favorite tea.”

The fourth prince stared at Hae Soo, pretty sure his mouth was gaping open, it was the first gift he had received, from anyone… even Mu. Once, when he was a child, Grand General Park had given him a few sweets during one of his visits to Shinju, but he had been so sick due to the Kangs latest attempt of poisoning him that he hadn’t been able to eat them before they went bad.

But still, it was probably one of the nicest memories he had… and it didn’t quite compare to this gift…

“I can try other scents if you like something else better.” Hae Soo went on, politely ignoring his speechlessness.

“I like this!” He said, somehow worried he had offended her but he and was rewarded with one of Hae Soo’s bright smiles.

There was a bit of a commotion at the other end of the garden, someone was coming. “Come on, walk me back to Queen Hwangbo’s palace. I really shouldn’t have wandered this far.”

Wang So allowed himself to be led away, turning briefly when he heard noise at his back, and noticed Queen Yoo’s entourage passing by, grateful that they were far away enough that they wouldn’t be required to stop. Soon, Hae Soo had stolen his attention, chattering up at him and asking him all sort of questions about living in the palace.

They were almost to back to Queen Hwangbo’s palace when they were stopped by the King’s entourage.

“Your Majesty.” Hae Soo said, dropping into a graceful curtsy. “Your Highness.”

“And who do we have here?” The King asked.

“I’m Hae Soo, your majesty. Lady Hae’s cousin. She’s visiting with Queen Hwangbo and her highness was kind enough to let me see the gardens, but I wandered a bit far and his highness the fourth prince was just bringing me back.”

“He was?”

“Yes, your highness, he’s always very kind to me.” She said, throwing a smile at Wang So, who was looking away.

“There you are,” A new voice interrupted, it was the Eight Prince. “I apologize, your majesty, your highness.” He said, receiving nods from the king and first prince. “Hae Soo, Lady Hae is looking for you.”

“Oh!” She said, startled. “Excuse me!” She said, bobbing a quick courtesy, barely waiting for the King’s nod before she started speed-walking away, once she made it to the edge of the garden, she broke into a run.

The Eight Prince stared after her for a moment, shaking his head. “I do apologize for her, Your Majesty, Hae Soo is a bit high spirited and awkward but means well. Lady Hae is very fond of her.”

“Seems charming,” Crown Prince said to be polite.

“Has a way with people, I suppose.” Wook said. “Fourth brother, for example, is in the habit of indulging her ever since he was staying with us.”

“She’s annoying otherwise.” Wang So said, carefully not looking at either of his brothers.

Wang So, the feared Wolf-Dog, NEVER indulged anyone, definitely not a slip of a girl, whose grasp on proper etiquette was tenuous at best. Yet, the crown prince thought, he had been walking with the girl, looking as relaxed as the first prince had ever seen him.

This was very interesting indeed.

*-*

“I had a talk with Queen Hwangbo,” Myung Hee told Hae Soo once they were back home, and Hae Soo was helping her change into something more comfortable, the short visit had taken a toll on Myung Hee’s strength, but she seemed to be in good spirits. “About you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I told her about your love for cosmetics and learning about herbs. She said that maybe in the spring, you could take some classes from Court Lady Oh – she’s the head of the Damiwon, and one of the most knowledgeable people in the palace regarding those things. It’s not for sure, she’ll have to ask the king’s permission, but she seemed to like you enough to do it.”

“Court Lady Oh,” Hae Soo murmured as one of those flashes of memory came to her, of a mature, yet beautiful woman caressing her face and telling her things would be all right while she cried. There was a lot of pain in that memory, but also a lot of love.

“She can be stern but has an exemplary reputation in the Palace.” Myung Hee said.

“It would be an honor if she could teach me.”

“Let’s hope Queen Hwangbo doesn’t forget and the King agrees.” Myung Hee said kindly. “Now, could you bring me some of that tea you made me the other day?”

Hae Soo smiled brightly, “Of course, Unnie!”

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten:

Winter's End

Hae Soo spent most of that winter by Lady Hae’s side, fussing over her and making countless cups of tea, watching her like a hawk, in a state of subdued fear that was at its worst each morning when she rushed into to Lady Hae’s room. Fear of what? She wasn’t sure.

On the days Lady Hae felt better, Hae Soo would help Myung Hee oversee some of the chores in the residence, like taking inventory of the house stocks, and seeing to the welfare of the village closest to them. Princess Yeon Hwa wasn’t happy about it at first, but she accepted the help as it meant lest time in the cold village and, at least for a while, peace settled over the Eight Prince’s Household.

When the weather was nice enough, The Thirteenth Prince, Baek Ah, would come visit, often with either the 10^th or the 14^th prince in tow. Sometimes, he would come alone and those were actually Soo’s favorite visits, as Baek Ah would play for Lady Hae, which always lifted her spirits, he would help Soo with her reading and writing, which were both improving, as she had little to do but practice.

Sometimes, Baek Ah would slip her a note from the 4^th prince – who had been called away at the beginning of the season, along with the Crown Prince, to deal with a collapsed bridge in the northern territories, which was causing severe affectations to the local trade.

The 4^th Prince wasn’t particularly communicative, his notes were usually short, but he still answered every single note Hae Soo sent him, even as they grew lengthy and chatty as she gained confidence in her writing after so much practicing, much of which involved tracing and retracing Wang So’s neat characters over and over, like she could absorb his words through the ink and paper.

It was, overall, a quiet season, a season of waiting for… “something” Hae Soo couldn’t name, as winter slowly faded into spring.

.

On the first warm morning of spring, Hae Soo woke up with a start, discovering she had pushed away the heavy, quilted blanket that had kept her warm for months. After rushing to the window, she realized that for the first time in months, there wasn’t frost nor snow on the grounds.

There was no dread in her heart as she went to Myung Hee’s room that morning, to find her up and getting dressed already, with Sun Ha’s help.

A couple of days later, the doctor came to visit.

“I confess that I worried for you over the last few months, my lady.”

“It was a bitter winter.” Lady Hae agreed softly.

“Indeed, it was.”

“Hae Soo took very good care of me, though.”

“I can see that. What herbs did you use, again, Ahgassi?” Hae Soo repeated the ingredients of the tea she brews each morning for Lady Hae. “An unusual combination, but evidently it works. Perhaps you could prepare some of this tea for me? I have a couple of patients who might benefit from it.”

“Of course!” Hae Soo said happily once Lady Hae gave her an approving nod.

Myung Hee slowly emerged from her rooms, as the weather continued to improve. Winter had come and gone… and Hae Myung Hee was still alive.

*-*-*

Wang So had been back in Songak for a few hours, had given his report to the king and was dismissed to take a few days rest before he was assigned his next task. And resting was what he should have been doing… instead, once night fell, he left the palace quietly, walking toward the market and then beyond, to the edge of his Eight Brother’s property and the stone piles.

He wasn’t really expecting for Hae Soo to be there, not really, but he was still disappointed when he arrived there and found it empty. He told himself he hadn’t come all this way to see her – if he really wanted to see her, he reasoned, it was just a matter of visiting his eight brother’s house in the morning.

“Your highness!” Hae Soo’s voice startled him, running toward him, stopping with a little bounce in front of him. “You are back!”

Wang So coughed, “Yes.”

“Baek-Ah said you would be back today or tomorrow, so I came to see if I was lucky!” Hae Soo said, pulling on his sleeves with her small hands until he followed her.

“You knew I would come here?”

“I hoped you would.” Hae Soo said, waiting patiently by the steps of the abandoned gatehouse, waiting for him to lift her to sit there like he had the last time.  Wang So complied and Soo grinned at him. “How was the trip back?”

“Better than the trip there,” Wang So said, sitting next to her. “Though we ran into some trouble here and there thanks to the snow melts from the mountains.”

Hae Soo pulled a small parcel from one of her pockets, offering it to him, “Honey cookies, I made them today, hoping you would be here. Baek Ah said they are your favorite,”

“They are,” He agreed,

“Now, tell me everything about your trip!”

They stayed out there for a while, before Wang So told her it was time she went back, “Fine, I will,” Hae Soo said, wrapping herself in the outer coat she had stolen from So many months ago. “But you promise you’ll come visit next time Baek Ah does,”

“If I haven’t been assigned more official duties by then, I will.”

*-*-*-*

True to his word, Wang So visited a few days later, sitting through an awkward tea with Lady Hae and Baek Ah, until Lady Hae took mercy on him and told Soo to show him the gardens while she discussed something with Baek Ah.

“I think it’s about me staying at the Damiwon.” Hae Soo said as the walked aimlessly, but within full view of the house as it was proper.

“Damiwon? You are not entering the palace, are you?”

“Of course not,” Hae Soo laughed. “But I’m taking a few lessons with the head Court Lady,” she explained. “Last time we paid a visit to Queen Hwangbo, Unnie told her how I have an interest in medicinal herbs, her highness arranged for me to take some lessons with Court Lady Oh, since it wouldn’t be practical to come and go every day, I got special permission to stay there while my lessons last.”

“I see.”

“You have to come visit me there, your highness!” Hae Soo said, “That’s probably what Unnie is asking Baek-Ah now, that he visits me, so I don’t get lonely.”

“I bet she’s asking him to keep an eye on you, so you stay out of trouble.”

“I’m going to be on my best behavior.” Hae Soo said primly. “Court Lady Oh is going to love me, you’ll see.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twelve: Spring Mornings

Hae Myung Hee fussed as she helped Hae Soo pack the plainest and most sober of her dresses as she would have to get around getting dressed and undressed by herself for the four weeks she would be staying at the Damiwon, constantly admonishing her to be on her best behavior.

“It will be okay, Unnie.” Soo said, munching around a red-bean paste sweet bun that their cook had made in honor of her departure.

“The palace is very different to this house, Soo-yah, it’s important that you remember that.” Myung Hee said soberly. “Within these walls the Hae name and fortune can protect you, but in the palace, we are essentially powerless. Our family is influential, yes, and I will always stand by you, but you will be entering the king’s private grounds and you’ll need to be on your guard all the time.”

“Of course, Unnie.” Soo said, lowering her head at the admonition.

“I’ve only meet Court Lady Oh a few times, but she is by all accounts a fair and dedicated woman, smart too, she has survived living in the palace for almost two decades and that, if nothing else, requires smarts. Be kind, pay attention and be on your best behavior, understood?”

“Yes, Unnie!” Hae Soo said, impulsively standing up and holding Myung Hee to herself. “I’ll be good. I promise. Don’t worry about me.”

“Until they day I see you happily married, I will worry, and probably still after.” Myung Hee said, returning the hug. Soo sighed happily, feeling the strength in Myung Hee’s limbs, the warm weather was doing wonders for her, she rarely coughed these days and it seemed to Hae Soo like she was even putting on a little weight, she felt solid and healthier than before. “Speaking of marriage, don’t go off running with the Fourth Prince.”

“Unnie!”

“No, Soo-yah, I mean it.”

“He would never hurt me.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt you but spending too much time together might hurt your reputation, and if you want a future with him, your reputation must be spotless Furthermore, if people realize there is an… attachment between the two, they might try to use you to hurt him, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“Of course not.” Hae Soo said, getting one of her flashbacks, of the prince pushing her behind his back, trying to shield her from what she recognized as palace soldiers. No, she had to keep that from happening.

“I don’t mean to scare you, Soo-yah, just be prudent, all right?”

Upon arriving at the Damiwon, Hae Soo was stuck with a sense of familiarity that shook her. I was a hive of activity, with ladies in uniform moving around in a sort of controlled chaos all of it supervised by Court Lady Oh. Upon seeing her, Hae Soo was assaulted by a series of images in a way that hadn’t happened in a long, long time. Many of the images were of this woman scolding her, but also advising her, smiling at her and lastly the touch of her work-roughened hand gently caressing Hae Soo’s face, telling her everything was going to be all right.

It was heartbreaking in the same way seeing Myung Hee for the first time had been and so, instantly, Hae Soo knew this person was important, later, she would try to figure out why but for now she was going to make a place for herself for however long she was meant to be there.

“I’m sorry Aghassi, in a moment I will have someone show you to your room, but right now we are very busy and…”

“I can help.” Hae Soo said impulsively.

“I don’t think so Aghassi. Queen Yoo will be visiting the Damiwon shortly and everything needs to be perfect.”

“I understand. I know it’s not the same, but I do a little bit of everything at Lady Hae’s household and I’m very good with teas and cosmetics.”

“We really don’t have time to supervise you.”

“You won’t need to, any task, really, I will be happy to help!”

Court Lady Oh gave her an assessing look before nodding, “All right, follow me.”

Hae Soo followed her into the storeroom. “Queen Yoo favors roses in her bath water, you can help going to collect some fresh ones from the garden…”

“Behind the Damiwon, pinks and reds only?”

“Well… yes. Then you need to bring them in and du-“

“Dust them off and give them a quick rinse in cold water and then separate them to dry them.” Hae Soo said with authority, leaving Lady Oh speechless for a second.

“All right, if you know how to do it go on then.” Lady Oh said, not sure what to make of this young lady who gave her a bright smile and scampered off like she knew exactly where she was going.

From then on, Hae Soo kept perplexing her over the following days: she got up early like the rest of the court ladies and was willing to help with any task put to her, being it carrying and heating water, or drying and classifying the herbs in the storeroom or even helping carry linens and uniforms down to the gyobang.

The younger girls didn’t know if they should like her or feel jealous, especially when the younger princes would drop by to visit her, but Hae Soo didn’t put on airs nor was she gossipy, and she was dedicated to her studies, Court Lady Oh couldn’t deny that, and she was eager to share whatever knowledge he had acquired with the other court ladies.

And Lady Oh had to agree it was endearing, the way Hae Soo smiled whenever she accomplished a task, the way she turned to Lady Oh for approval, like it did really matter to her.  The only thing that kept worrying her was the closeness young Lady Hae seemed to have with the princes… that could lead her to a world of trouble and heartbreak.

Hae Soo sighed deeply as she moved across the Damiwon garden with a large bucket of water, feeling a little dejected. For some reason, Lady Oh had been short with her all morning and finally told her to stop getting in the way and go outside to do something helpful, so Hae Soo had grabbed this bucket and now was watering the plants.

“This is so dumb!” Hae Soo said out loud, dropping her bucket and crouching down behind a bush. “I didn’t do anything for her to be angry at me.”

“What are you complaining about?”

“Your highness!” Hae Soo said, jumping up and turning around swiftly to find herself face to face with the Fourth Prince. “I was not complaining!”

“It sounded like you were.” Wang So said, stepping closer. Hae Soo huffed and picked her bucket up, prompting So to take it from her, following her down the row of bushes, while Hae Soo used a smaller jug to scoop the water out and to the plants. “Tell me what’s wrong. Baek Ah said you were doing well here.”

“Of course, Baek Ah would know, he does come visit me, unlike other people.”

“I have been busy outside Songak with the Crown Prince.” Wang So said.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, your highness.”

“Soo-yah. Don’t you always say you are my person?”

“I do say that” Hae Soo admitted, ignoring the way her heart speed up at the familiar address. “But you need to believe it too, or it doesn’t count.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Elder brother and I just came back this morning, I haven’t even been to my quarters yet, but I’m here.”

Hae Soo sniffled, “You didn’t even write.”

“I didn’t think it would be prudent, not while you are in the palace.”

“Unnie said something like that too.” Hae Soo admitted. She was saved from saying anything more when she tried to water the next plan and realized they had run out of water.

“I’ll go get more, wait here.”

They kept watering the plants, Hae Soo forgetting about her troubles with Lady Oh, especially when she realized that Wang So was surprisingly knowledgeable about plants.

“I spend a lot of time hiding in the gardens at Consort Kang’s estate when I lived there, plants are really good listeners, after time, you even start having your favorites. Mine was a tree, he was my only friend in that house.”

Hae Soo could tell by the change in his expression that it was a painful memory, so she smiled brightly and changed the subject. “Well, I try my best to learn more about these plants, I might even give them names… though Court Lady Oh will probably scold me for it. She is always scolding me for something.”

“That’s what you were upset about? I thought you said she was going to love you.”

“I don’t know what it is…”

“Ahgassi!” One of the younger court ladies that was friendly toward Hae Soo rushed out to meet her. “Ahgassi Court Lady Oh is looking for you. You better come inside.”

“Thank you, Hwa Young.” Hae Soo so said with a smile.

“Oh, your highness!” Hwa Young said nearly dropping to the ground and avoiding looking at the fourth prince.

Hae Soo rolled her eyes, “Can you put the bucket away, please? Thank you! Also! Come with Baek Ah next time!” She added, tugging Hwa Young with her, who didn’t know where to look at.

Wang So shook his head, turning to walk away, surprised when in the distance he saw the Head Court Lady staring at him from a window, giving him the smallest of bows when she noticed him. Wang So bowed back awkwardly.

*-*-*-*

Court Lady Oh scolded Hae Soo for not staying put, even though Soo argued that she had gone water the plants in the garden to make herself useful, which then got her scolded for talking back, and sent off to do some menial work in the storeroom.

And so progressed the next couple of days, no matter how good she tried to behave, Hae Soo got scolded more often than not.

Court Lady Oh was even more snippy when the princes visited, she barely let her greet them and talk with them for a few minutes before finding a task she needed to perform, which frustrated Hae Soo a lot.

Finally, she slipped a note to Wang So, telling him how to get into the cave behind the royal bath, where the springs formed.

Soo snuck off, half thinking that maybe Wang So wouldn’t even show up but was happily surprised when she arrived and found him already waiting.

“Your Highness!” She said happily. “I’m glad you came!”

“You asked me to. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Not really. I’m just bored… and I missed you.” Hae Soo said, sitting at the edge of one of the pools. Here, try these.”

Wang So obliged, why? He wasn’t sure but it seemed like an imperative to him lately, do whatever made Hae Soo happy, the longer the time they spend together, the longer he felt that pull toward here. Maybe it was that mystical bound she used to talk about in the past, the need to stay together.

“You keep making me these cookies.”

“Because I know they are your favorite, and you need more sweetness in your life.” Hae Soo said, happily munching on one of the cookies. “What did you do today?”

“Just some administrative stuff with the Crown Prince, I think we might be moving out again soon. There is some restlessness in the south. It hasn’t rained as it should in the last couple of years and this season doesn’t look to be much better, people get restless.”

“Will you be gone for a long time?”

“I don’t know yet.”

The next morning, Hae Soo realized that she could feel happy and drained at the very same time. She was happy that she had gotten to spend time with Wang So the night before, but she was also sleep deprived as she went through the morning chores.

She was walking back from the gyobang when she heard a commotion going on behind a closed door. Soo had never been in that part of the Damiwon, and curiosity got the best of her.

“Bring more ice!” a somewhat familiar voice yelled, as something crashed to the ground, and a senior court lady rushed out, leaving the door open to reveal a man inside, with a painful looking rash all over his skin, applying what looked like an ice compress to his arms.

“No! You shouldn’t do that!” Hae Soo said impulsively.

“It feels like its burning.”

“I know. I know, but it will only make it worse! Trust me.”

“You do something then!” The man roared.

“We need warm water to start.” Hae Soo said, spying a tea pot, which she opened to sniff it. “Pepermint, this will do for now.”

“Ahgassi!”

“Oh, Court Lady Seo.” Hae Soo said from where she was wringing a rag, which she had soaked in the warm tea to lay it on top of a stretch of skin on the crown prince’s back, who seemed a lot more subdued. “Do you know think you could bring some lavender and sweet yellow clover?”

“Lavender and Sweet Yellow Clover?”

“Yes. A think we can make a paste with it and that might help some of these sores.”

“Hae Soo! What the hell do you think you are doing?!”

“What ever it is, its working.” The crown prince said, relief in his voice.

“I apologize Your Highness. If you’ll give us a moment. Hae Soo, come here this instant!”

Hae Soo sighed and turned to Court Lady Seo, “Whatever you do, don’t put ice on it, it’ll just irritate the skin again.”

“Hae Soo!”

*

“I knew from the start that you coming here was a mistake! There is no place for the likes of you at the Damiwon! You are disruptive and…” Lady Oh paced the length of her private room, only pausing to glare at Soo every so often. 

“I’m sorry I’m disruptive, I don’t mean to be. But…. About the Crown Prince, he seemed to be in pain, and I do know that condition fairly well, my mother used to have it.”

“That is not the point! Getting involved in the affairs of the royal family is always done at once’s peril and it seems like you don’t care. You eagerly jump to spend time with the Princes, you stick your nose where you shouldn’t and – and-“

“Court Lady Oh!” Hae Soo exclaimed alarmed when Court Lady Oh crumpled on herself and fainted.

Soo barely managed to catch her and drag her to the bed, having some practice with moving Mung Hee around when she was having a bad day. Hae Soo sat next to the unconscious woman, feeling that sense of déjà vu she sometimes got, though it wasn’t as strong as the visions that flooded her mind, Soo knew she had been in this position before.

“Court Lady Oh?” Court Lady Seo asked timidly.

Hae Soo hastened to open the door and motioned for the older woman to keep her voice down.

“She wasn’t feeling well, I think it upset her stomach having to yell at me.”

“She hasn’t been well lately. Queen Yoo always stresses her.” Lady Seo said reflexively before quickly adding “Please forget I said anything.”

“I didn’t hear anything.” Hae Soo smiled.

“You remind me of her when I first came to the palace.” Lady Seo said, “She was always so full of life and spirited, but then… well, life in the Palace is complicated. Anyway. I came to tell her that The Crown Prince has left the premises, the poultice you recommended did him really good.”

“I’m glad.” Hae Soo said before standing up briskly. “I’ll go get something to eat for Court Lady Oh, I’m sure she’ll be hungry when she wakes up.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirteen

Together or Apart

Hae Soo read quietly by candle light as night fell over Damiwon, and she waited for Court Lady Oh to wake up. She had really improved in her reading and writing lately and it made her surprisingly proud, back in her other life, Ha Jin had never been academically gifted, but here she had the time to devote herself to studying while under Myung Hee’s care and further to knowledge she had acquired due to her interest in cosmetics.

The sound of rustling coming from the bed made Hae Soo put her book away and approach the bedding. “How are you feeling?” She asked, helping Court Lady Oh to sit up.

“What are you doing here?”

“Keeping you company while you recover, of course.” Hae Soo said, reaching for a covered dish. “Here, I made you some porridge, I ground the nuts myself.” She said proudly presenting the food.

“I’m not hungry.”

“But I worked so hard on it!” She pouted. “Even my arms hurt now,”

“Aish!” Lady Oh said, taking the small dish and sampling a spoonful. “What else did you put on it?”

“Some honey, and a few herbs that will help soothe your stomach.”

“My stomach?”

“You grabbed it before you passed out, so I figured it must have hurt.” Soo said, moving to the little stove on the corner to heat water for tea. “I’m sorry I upset you.”

Lady Oh leaned back and sighed. “I don’t know what to make of you, Aghassi. I don’t know if you are dumb or naïve or just a really good actress.”

“I don’t think I’m dumb or naïve – I’ve been trustful in the past, to my own detriment so I try to be more careful now. As for acting… I don’t think I’m particularly talented, everything shows on my face if you know me well enough.”

“That last one is true, I suppose.” Lady Oh agreed, it was plain to see the girl’s infatuation with the Fourth Prince. “But I’m not so sure on the dumb or naïve… you willingly tangle yourself in the affairs of the crown.”

“If its about the Crown Prince, I was just trying to help.”

“That was just plain foolish.” Lady Oh’s voice turned hard, even as she accepted the cup of tea Hae Soo had prepared for her. “If what you suggested worsens his condition, if you breathe a word about it to anyone… you will quickly find yourself in the wrong side of the king’s attention.”

“That won’t happen. What I told the Crown Prince was all true, and if he does as I said, his condition should improve.”

“And that might still bring you into the king’s attention.”

“I live with two of his children and are lucky enough to count a few more of his sons as friends, perhaps it was always inevitable.”

“Aligning yourself to the Fourth Prince is not a wise choice, Aghassi. Some say he’s cursed.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“I don’t,” Lady Oh agreed. “But the court at large does. He has no real allies aside from the Fourteenth Prince, neither the Kangs nor the Yoo’s claim him, the Crown Prince likes him, but his majesty has proved more than once that he’s willing to sacrifice any of his other children for the Crown Prince.”

“The Fourth Prince has me and I might not be much, but I’m smart and loyal.” Hae Soo said.

“And foolhardy. I just told you he has no allies and that the court thinks he’s cursed, you shouldn’t proclaim your feelings like that, especially if he has made no official claim of you.”

“I am his person.”

“He might say that now, but what if things change in the future? If he grows ambitious or wants more power? An orphaned girl from a minor branch of a noble family will be easily cast aside.”

“I understand that, but in this life I have chosen to try and stay by his side for as long as I can, hold on tight and not let go if at all possible.”

 Lady Oh shook her head, “Foolhardy,” She repeated, deciding to lay down once more. “Now leave, child. I’m tired.”

“I’ll come see you before I leave in the morning.”

“That’s right, you must return to your household tomorrow, and will no longer be my problem.”

“I’ll come to visit though! Whenever I can!”

Oh Soo Yeon closed her eyes and suppressed a smile, in her experience nobles – even the ones from smaller branches – were fickle, but there was something so genuine about this Aghassi that Court Lady Oh found herself wishing she kept her word.

*-*-*

To her delight, Wang So showed up the next morning, saying Baek Ah wasn’t feeling well so he would be the one in charge of escorting her back to the 8^th Prince’s compound, it made it a little bit easier to leave the Damiwon.

It took no time at all for them to tie her things to the Prince’s horse and for them to begin their walk, a maid from the 13^th Prince’s household kept a discreet distance as a chaperone. It would be ruinous for Soo’s reputation if she was seen leaving the palace with only Wang So for company, so Baek Ah had arranged for one of his trusted maids to accompany them part of the way.

Once they reached the border of the Eight Prince’s compound, the maid excused herself and started her journey back.

“I feel bad for her! She walked all this way without rest.” Hae Soo said.

“Shi An got a half-day off for coming this way, her family lives a little further out and she’s going to visit them before returning to the palace.”

“Oh, that’s good then.” Soo said brightly. “How is Baek Ah doing?”

“He’s perfectly fine, I just needed and excuse to talk to you.”

Hae Soo smiled brightly at that, “All you needed to do was ask!”

Her smile dimed a bit when she encountered the Prince’s frown, as he took a detour toward the prayer stones.

“What you did yesterday was very foolish, Hae Soo. If the Crown Prince’s condition deteriorates…”

“He will get better. I promise. I also left him some other instructions with Lady Oh, if he does as I told him, he will feel a lot better,”

“He was pretty bad, that’s part of the reason why we returned to Songak.”

“I’m sure it has been bothering him for a long time. But you need to have some faith in me.”

“I just want you to understand how dangerous and foolish it was…”

Hae Soo stopped and looked at him. “I already got scolded for it, you don’t have to do it again. He was in pain, and I knew how to help so I did. That’s it. He doesn’t have to follow my advice if he doesn’t want to. And if you only came so you could yell at me, you can leave, I can make my way back from here.”

She made it as if to untie her parcels from Soo’s horse, but he stopped her. “I’m just worried. But Mu-hyung is doing better, he is I – just… you can’t tell anyone about his condition, and please try to stay out of it from now on. For your own safety.”

“I would never tell anyone. I understand it would be dangerous for us all, especially for the Crown Prince, and I would never do anything against him, I know how much you care for him too. I understand that it’s like walking on ice – living so close to the palace – and that each time we cross paths with the Royal family, there is another crack that forms either on the surface or deep down, and thus we have to be even more careful. These things I know. I have been here before.”

“What?”

“It’s… remember what I told you in the past? That I know what our fate will be like if we don’t stick together?”

“Yes. You said it was a vision.”

“Of a life I lived before. I don’t know how I can explain it better, but I know it’s not the first time this has happened, it’s like we were given a chance to make things right, I came back here to start things over once more.”

“Like time travel?”

“Sort of. Maybe. But it’s different. It’s not like things are happening just the same, you know? Even our relationship, what I remember of it… it’s not the same. So, it’s not fate, or a repeat, it’s more like somethings are meant to happen but we are free to make our way between these events, and somethings change, and somethings don’t…”

“Love doesn’t change?” There was sarcasm in his voice but hope in his eyes. Hae Soo could see it clearly know.

“Not between you and me.” She paused, hoped he could see the truth of her words. “It grows. It doesn’t know how to do anything else between us two.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Fourteen

Something Terrible and Sweet

What does one do after awkwardly confessing to a person who isn’t entirely ready to hear it? Run, it seemed. Because that’s what Hae Soo did after telling Wang So that between them love could only grow… it wasn’t until she was entering the main house that she realized that Wang So had sort of also admitted he loved her.

He had… in a way.

He definitely had.

Even if he had been sarcastic about it, but Soo was willing to overlook that part… for now, maybe she would tease him about it later, once things were more certain between them.

“Soo-yah!” Lady Hae said delighted, bringing Soo out of her thoughts. “You are back!”

“It’s good to be back!” Hae Soo said happily, going forward and throwing her arms around Myung Hee. “I missed you, Unnie!”

“I missed you too.” Lady Hae returned the hug more gently but with great affection. “How was your stay at the Palace.”

“Why don’t I make us some tea, and tell you all about it?”

“That sounds lovely. I’ve missed your tea.”

“I’ve gotten so much better at it! You’ll see!” She happily chatted to her cousin.

Soo hadn’t even realized she had left her things tied to Wang So’s horse until the following morning, when Baek Ah showed up with said bundle in tow and an excuse about how Wang So had been called back unexpectedly when he was walking her home.

He was leaving the capital again, to follow the Crown Prince on some tour. And no, Baek Ah didn’t know when he would return. There was unrest in the agricultural regions, and the King hoped the presence of the Crown Prince would bring peace to the populace.

Soo tried not to be sulky about it, but she wasn’t sure she had succeeded when Lady Hae just smiled at her ruefully and later asked Soo to go on a walk with her, bringing her to the prayer stones. After Soo had helped her find and place stones in all the piles Lady Hae maintained – and said a prayer at each one – Soo did feel a little bit more peaceful.

“Perhaps you should start one for the Fourth Prince,” Myung-Hee said after a while.

“I don’t know if he would like that.” Soo-yah said.

“I’m sure he would.” Myung Hee said wisely, “It’s always nice to know someone cares about us.”

“He knows! I have told him! But he always leaves!”

“I don’t know his highness that well but I do know  that  sometimes people leave without wanting to. And he made sure you knew he wasn’t just avoiding you, that ought to count for something, right?”

“Do you really think so, Unnie?”

“Just start, and when he comes back, you’ll see where things go.”

After her talk with Myung Hee, Hae Soo decided she needed something to do instead of just pining for the Fourth Prince, so she threw herself into helping Lady Hae with the running of the household, which much amused her older cousin, who indulged her in good humor.

“Perhaps you will have your own household soon,” Myung Hee said once.

Hae Soo sighed wistfully, “I’m not sure about that....”

But Myung Hee wasn’t fooled… not when once a week Baek Ah came for a visit, slipping Soo-yah letters written in a precise, no-nonsense handwriting that Myung Hee knew didn’t belong to the thirteenth prince. Letters Soo hid and hoarded like a tiny dragon protecting something precious.

There were worries in the kingdom, Myung Hee knew that very well: the lack of rain, the threat from Kitan up north, the Baekje crisis brewing, but during those days of late spring, with Soo-yah’s chatter, Baek Ah’s music and laughter from the Ten and Fourteen’ princes filling the rooms of her house, Myung Hee felt like everything in her world was at peace.

Even her health had given her a reprieve, and though Myung Hee didn’t know how long it would last, she was determined to enjoy it for as long as she could.  

-*-*-*-

Waiting was something terrible and sweet.

Hae Soo learned that as spring moved into summer and the weather got hotter and drier every day.

She missed Wang So.

The letters helped but they weren’t the same. Baek Ah did his best to ensure the flow of letters was steady, but even he had his limitations.

Hae Soo did her best to keep busy, and surprising help came in the form of the Tenth Prince’s mother. Soo didn’t know her personally – yet – but from the stories the Tenth Prince said, she was a devoted and loving mother, who often overindulged her only son.

As the daughter of one of the founders of the nation, she was a respected wife of the King, though on the advice of her own father, she had never sought the position of Queen.

“Grandfather says the influence puts a target on your back,” Eun said once, “that’s why he has never wanted me to be overly involved at court like my elder brothers, yet he insists on giving me boring lessons himself.”

“He wants you to be happy and safe, your highness.” Soo had told him.

“For now, I’ll have my fun.” Eun had said, oddly pensive. “Have fun but keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut, that’s with Eomonni says.”

“Great advice.” Soo smiled and then distracted him with something else.

Still, it was a surprise when Myung Hee called her and Princess Yeon Hwa to have tea with her.

“We have received an invitation,” Myung Hee said softly while Soo poured the tea. “On behalf of Consort Wang,”

“That’s… unusual.” Princess Yeon Hwa said, taking her own cup of tea. “Consort Wang usually doesn’t entertain.”

“That is correct,” Lady Hae said. “Which is why we must prepare carefully for this. I already agreed to the visit, of course, it will be in three days’ time.”

“We should prepare some presents,” Princess Yeon Hwa said thoughtfully.

“When I was at the Damiwon I heard the court ladies say Consort Park has a dislike for strong scents and enjoys simple refreshments when she visits the bathhouse.” Hae Soo said.

 “Not one of your famous bathing aids, then.” Yeon Hwa said with just a bit of snark.

“I can make them as strong or as light in scent as I want to, but I’m not sure it would be wise to always give the same present,” Soo said without rising to the bait.

“That’s also true.” Myung Hee said carefully. “Perhaps we should take an excursion to the market this afternoon, see if something catches our fancy.” She added with more cheer.

Hae Soo smiled and agreed immediately, thankful that Lady Hae felt well enough to leave the prince’s compound, something she had done very rarely last year. Her health was improving; Hae Soo was sure of it, it was like he had told Wang So before… somethings were meant to happen but the paths between those points was not set in stone.

There was hope.

---

Consort Wang welcomed them warmly into one of the rooms of the Damiwon.  Accepting gratefully the sweets they had brought, and the small pot of medicinal cream Hae Soo presented her with.

“It’s for bruising and minor aches.” Soo said.

Consort Wang laughed, “Oh, this will be helpful with all the scrapes Eun is always getting into. It’s such a nice scent too.”  

“The Tenth Prince is such an energetic young man.” Lady Hae said fondly.

“He is a menace.” Consort Wang said, “I’m afraid Father and I indulge him too much, but he’s, my treasure.”

“He has a very kind heart, Your Highness.” Hae Soo said. “He’ll grow up and mature… eventually.”

“Hae Soo-“Princess Yeon Hwa admonished in a loud whisper.

“Gongju,” Consort Wang said kindly, “Don’t worry, I don’t mind if young Lady Hae is a little informal in her speech.”

“Still, I apologize for Hae Soo, Your Highness.” Lady Hae said. “She tries but is still a little unruly sometimes.”

“She’ll grow and mature… eventually.” Consort Wang said, sharing a smile with Lady Hae. “Eun has told me a lot about you,” she went on. “And I think you have been a good influence on him overall, as I said, Father and I overindulge him, so I’m glad he has someone who sees him as a friend and is honest with him.”

“Honesty is a cornerstone of friendship,” Hae Soo offered.

“Well said.” Consort Wang said. “It’s about Eun I wanted to talk to you all about. His birthday is coming soon. Usually, I celebrate with him, here at my residence. privately, but this year he keeps talking about how he would want a birthday celebration with the other princes. I could host a formal celebration for him in the palace, I suppose, but I don’t think he would enjoy that… which is why I wanted to ask you, Aghassi, if you would mind organizing a celebration for him.”

*

Hae Soo threw herself into preparing for Prince Eun’s birthday – which would be happening in the Damiwon’s gardens – enjoying both the challenge of it and the distraction from her constant pinning. Prince Eun gave her all sorts of ideas, and seemed very excited, especially after the Crown Prince sent word that both him and Wang So would return in time for his festivities.

That would mean all the princes would be in attendance, including Princess Yeon Hwa, who had been a little put out that Consort Wang hadn’t asked her to organize the celebration for Eun, but wouldn’t miss the chance to meet with her brothers.

“You have to understand, “Myung Hee had told her a few days before the party, “Her highness is used to being the center of attention among the younger princess, as the only sister their age – all others are either long married or still too young – and I think she resents they pay so much attention to you.”

“I had never thought of it that way.”

“Much as I wished you two would become friends when I first bought you here, I quickly realized you two were just not compatible as companions.”

“Even before my accident?”

“It was worse before your accident, actually. You were this meek little thing, hiding in corners and scared of your own shadow… she had no patience for that.”

“Do you ever wish I went back to being like before, Unnie?”

Myung Hee paused thoughtfully, “Sometimes I wish you were a little more circumspect, but your heart is in the right place, and you are brave, I admire that.”

“I think you are very strong too, Unnie.”

“Me? I’m always sick.”

“Yes, and you fight every day to make the most of it. You are one of the strongest people I know.”

Myung Hee smiled wistfully, “I wasn’t always like this, you know? I was quite reckless in my younger years. Stubborn, Abeoji would say.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Myung Hee said, “I picked my own husband, you see. My father wasn’t too keen on my marrying the Eight Prince, but I would have no other, I was a menace until they agreed,”

“And I’m rather thankful for it.” A new voice cut in, a moment before the Eight Prince came into view. “You have made me very happy, my lady.”

Myung Hee blushed, “Have I, really?”

The Eight Prince sat down next to his wife. “I wouldn’t say it, otherwise.”

Hae Soo smiled, feeling something inside of her shift – a weight rolling off her back.

“I shall go… do something.” Hae Soo announced, mostly to herself and quickly left the room.

***

The night before the celebration, Hae Soo could barely sleep. She had gotten permission to stay at the Damiwon so she could help with the set up since the early morning. The Princes and Princess would go pay their respects to King Taejo, who would make some offerings at the temple for the long life and good health of the Tenth Prince, and then the princess would come here for the informal celebrations.

In just a few hours, she would see Wang So again, after his sudden departure months ago.

She couldn’t wait.